A Nameless Fic Because Shikamaru Said So
by Oh Dee
Summary: Shikamaru thinks high school is troublesome enough without a foreign exchange student. Temari thinks hell is bad enough without a pineapple haired lazy ass. Funny how things work out. ShikaTema AU
1. i

**AN**: Hey, me here! You can go ahead and skip the rather long Author's Notes. They're pretty much pointless.

This is the first chapter of my newest ShikaTema fic. It's AU. It's high school. It's the terror most of wish would die. Granted, there's a lot (too many) AU high school fics, but I'm gonna be biased and say mine is the best. But it isn't. So that makes me a liar.

Anyway. This fic is going to be split between perspectives. So, while one chapter is Shikamaru's POV, the other will be Temari's. So, you know, no reviews going "ZOMG WTF I DUN UNDASTAND WHT S GOIN ON Y IS SHIKA TALKIN LYKE A GRL?" I will kill you. Really.

WARNING: THERE ARE LOTS OF CURSE WORDS. LIKE. A LOT. MORE THAN A LOT. I CAN'T HELP IT IF I DRAW FROM MY OWN HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE WHERE NOT A DAY GOES BY WITHOUT CURSING.

Also, I'm basing the high school in this fic on what I know about Japanese high schools and my own knowledge of high schools. While schools in Japan have students sit in the same classroom all day, I said "TO HELL WITH THAT!" and invoked my own version of high school. Where they switch classes. Because yes, I am awesome. I'm also the writer. So, you know. I'm GOD.

Enjoy. Review. Love it. Because there's going to be lots more chapters after this one.

And yes, the title is a work in progress. Shikamaru dislikes thinking up such trivial things like titles.

**Edit: After further research that I was too lazy to conduct before the writing of this chapter, I found out Japanese schools start their term in April. The October date has changed to April, and now since there has been a change, all chapters are being revised. Chapters that would have appeared earlier in the story are now appearing much later, and future scenes will now find themselves coming much sooner. Sorry about that.**

* * *

_She's just the girl I'm lookin' for  
_**--Just the Girl, The Click Five**

* * *

Chapter I  
**Nameless Chapter One.**

The one great thing about being lazy is that, in the end, no one expects anything from you. They'll badger you senseless the first few times, but after they realize that you really _don't give a shit_, they'll go bother someone else more worthy of their time and who may actually take their criticisms and suggestions to heart.

The one great thing about me being lazy is that school is a breeze. While Ino constantly comes complaining to me that she's gotten a lower score than Sakura, _again_, I just have to manage handing in my late homework, an extra credit assignment, finish a quiz, and I have a passing grade that'll get me to the next level.

And it's not like I _couldn't_ get a perfect score, it's just that the effort in doing so is far too troublesome for the likes of me. Now, if exams were shougi games and physical education was really a test of brilliance in the field of battle where every corner was riddled with traps, maybe I'd actually try (I prefer breathing, anyway). But since society has defined intelligence by one's ability to complete written exams and ability to memorize fountains of information, I refuse to stoop to such levels.

…

Nah. I'm just too lazy to try.

It's a shame, really, that the administration has realized that I, Nara Shikamaru, have more to offer than sarcastic comments and an irritated sigh at the mention of exams. What's even worse is that, without even giving me a _test_, they've bumped me up to the top class in my level. They'd probably have placed me in final year, but after my mother came in screaming like a banshee and demanding that they rethink their decision because she'd be damned if she had a social retard for a son, I think they put more value in their sanity than the publicity they would get with my smarts.

Not trying to sound conceited or anything. Too troublesome, anyhow.

But that's how I found myself in the top class. Try as I might to keep myself from ascending on to new levels of wisdom, society decides to grace this lazy ass genius with the opportunity of a lifetime.

Why can't they get it that when it comes to lazy ass geniuses, it really doesn't matter?

* * *

Ino and Chouji, probably the only two people I could ever form some semblance of a friendship with, came rushing to me at the end of the period, eager smiles on their faces, radiating happiness. And while I tried to carefully avoid them by jumping into the nearest rolling trash bin, Ino was fast enough to latch one of her perfectly manicured fingers on to my collar and drag me around with her until we reached her purple decorated locker. 

"Our homeroom has decided that this year, for a humanity project, we should establish friendships over seas. You know, like pen pals."

I groaned. "Fabulous."

"I specifically asked for a guy in Brazil, but sensei said something about language barriers and the like…" She drifted off, staring into the mirror, completely absorbed by the fascinating image that reflected back at her as she smiled at herself, completely oblivious to Chouji's grimace at the mention of a guy in Brazil as he took his stance beside her, like an overprotective bodyguard ready to tackle any one suspicious.

Ino was a pretty girl. Well, I'd be lying to myself if I left it just at that. She was beyond pretty. She was the perfect blonde bombshell—the complete package. She came with the hips, the chest, the long, naturally blonde hair, the lips, and the flirty eyes. She moved with a sort of grace that was lost upon the other females in the school. And while she wasn't the smartest cookie (she was close, though), she kicked ass when it came to sports.

And beside her was her exact opposite. While she was slim, he was chubby and "big boned." She was beautiful, and he was handsome in the sort of way that you had to look at him twice before you noticed anything. Her hair was light, and his was fiery red, just like the red tattooed circles decorating his cheeks. And yet while she was vain and completely oblivious to others, he was kind hearted and pure.

Yeah, I know. How the hell did we become friends?

My brain cells drop dead rapidly every time I try to even stray down that path of thought.

"So what'd your homeroom decide?"

I groaned even louder.

Why?

Because I had brilliant Haruno Sakura in my class.

And while you may see my tone as sarcastic, she really is brilliant. Just annoying.

She'd been the clever one to suggest that, _oh! Maybe the class should host the next foreign exchange students and therefore promote friendships with those that are different!_

And while I'm all up for promoting tolerance and the like, don't place me into the tolerating. Because chances are the person will probably end up not being able to tolerate _me_.

"Foreign exchange students are to be dumped on us."

"That's so _cool_." One of Ino's hands gave me a thumb up sign and I caught her smile from her reflection.

Damn her. I'd easily go back to being in the lesser classes. Have her replace me anytime.

"Think about it this way, Shikamaru," Chouji said, thumping me—hard, may I add—against my back. "At least you don't have to write troublesome letters. Besides, you're not the only one in your class so the responsibility won't be placed solely on you."

I shrugged. "Knowing my luck, it probably will. As long as it's not a female from our species—"

Ino's disgusted sigh could be heard from a mile away, and the sound of her locker being slammed just further proved her irritation—at me, naturally. "You know what," she said to me, her tone dangerous. "I hope you _do_ get a girl, and in the end, you fall madly and hopelessly in love with her and have her not give a shit."

Oh, troublesome girl.

You fuckin' jinxed it.

* * *

School assembly. 

That either meant our headmistress had gotten yet another liposuction/Botox operation (she was in denial about the whole 'growing old' thing) or there was something important going on.

Though my brain liked to go for the first option, chances are that this time around (mid April, and not one of our headmistress' times to go 'youthful' on us, like Lee liked to call it), it actually had something important to do with the school.

And while Headmistress Tsunade talked away on the microphone (demanding that if she catches another sake bottle going around, she'll bash the responsible students' heads in with her pinky), I saw it.

My impending doom.

And it came to me in the form of a female.

She stood a little away from Tsunade-sama, back against the pillar that stood at the ends of the auditorium stage. Her arms crossed over her chest, and a tiny, condescending smirk graced her lips. She was tanned, unlike most of the girls around here, and her hair wasn't exactly blonde—more like sandy yellow to me. She looked around the student and faculty filled room, teal eyes (I can't believe I actually found the right color) sizing us up.

And maybe it was truly destiny, because when her eyes swept along my row, she stopped and stared at me.

And my heart quickened.

And my eyes twitched and suddenly I remembered that I needed to fucking breathe.

"Jiraiya, stop reading porn during assemblies. I don't _care_ if you're part of the administration council as well as a teacher, you're not supposed to promote sex out in the open like that, and I will fire you if you—listen to me, you little—" She stopped midway as all our eyes widened and she chuckled nervously, covering the microphone with one hand and motioning for the girl with the other.

Said girl walked slowly, meticulously towards Tsunade-sama, arms still crossed, mean looking face still forced into that nonchalant look with her lips pressed thin. She reached the headmistress after a few strides and stood carefully poised, as if ready to spring into action.

"Holy shit," Ino whispered to me, and I could feel her breath tickling my ear. "She looks like a bitch."

I shrugged.

Bitch or no bitch, she was pretty in that scary-looking way.

"I would like to give a warm welcome to our newest foreign exchange student, Sabaku no Temari."

There was silence before the deafening uproar of a few hundred pairs of hands coming together in that famous clapping motion people practice. But, since doing that would waste my energy, I opted to just staring straight at her.

By some strange twist of fate, she stared right back too, just like the first time.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

* * *

When I entered my classroom the next day for homeroom, I was surprised to find all the students gathered around a desk, eager whispers and furtive glances filling the room with a tension even in my laziest of moments could feel. 

Upon further entering the room, and trying to overstep the backpacks thrown haphazardly on the floor beside desks, I found my eyes drawn towards the group, even as my legs took me further and further away to the last desk in the row beside the large windows. Over bowed, bobbing heads, I could make out four blonde ponytails defying gravity and all logic.

What. The. Fuck.

"Oi, Shikamaru! You're early!" Sakura's voice caught my attention. She was sitting beside the foreign exchange student, pink hair bunched up in a bun, a few stray strands escaping and framing her face to make her appear angelic. Sitting beside the blonde girl, she most certainly did.

It was strange to look at her so close up. Even on stage, she looked like a man killer, what with her pose and crossed arms. But only a few feet away, and surrounded by strangers that were probably younger than her, she appeared more like a crazed serial killer than anything.

She was glaring at me curiously, and her eyes stared directly at me, unflinching and unmoving.

"Come here," Sakura ordered lightly, a smile on her lips as she waved a hand at me. "I want to introduce everyone to Temari-san here since she'll be part of our homeroom for the rest of the year."

Glowering, I made my way to the two even as everyone dispersed and prepared to take to their appropriate seats. "Yo," I said as a greeting.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Temari-san, this is Nara Shikamaru. Shikamaru, this is Sabaku no Temari. None of the upper classes had any space left in their homerooms, so Temari-san had to be placed in this one."

I grunted.

"You want to make her feel welcomed, Shikamaru," Sakura told me in the voice that Ino frequently used when she was really threatening me in a way no one else could identify unless they looked hard enough.

"Why?"

Sakura frowned just as the Temari girl cracked a smile and chuckled deeply, the sound resonating in my chest. She didn't have a soft laugh like the other girls—hers was rough and honest.

"Funny kid," she said when she finished her laugh, earning a surprised look from both Sakura and me.

Sakura because she must have been surprised for such a comment.

Me because her voice was just like her laugh. Honest, brutal, rough in almost a melodic way. It was strange to hear it come from a girl. Granted, she didn't look like all the other girls from school or any other female from the human species that I ever laid eyes on, but she was interesting. Interesting in the same way I found Venus flytraps interesting enough to look at but never dare come close to unless I had a death wish.

"She's taking quite a few of the same classes as you, Shikamaru," Sakura informed me, indicating the schedule lying atop the blonde's desk. "Show her around, will you?"

It wasn't _really_ a question, and we both knew that. Sakura was just trying to appear polite. That and she knew from Ino's stories that I wouldn't argue, especially not in public.

I nodded. I didn't have much of a choice anyway, but I nodded for the sake of having something to do besides staring at the four ponytails.

As I was about to turn and make my way to my desk, I caught sight of that Temari girl staring at me, those glowing eyes narrowed slightly, her brows furrowed, creating a line in the middle.

But I ignored it and kept on walking away from Sakura, away from her, and away from any and all responsibilities that would find themselves thrust upon me.

But as I left, still feeling her eyes on me, boring a hole in the back of my neck, I could feel a sinking feeling in my stomach that this foreign exchange girl was spelling out trouble in bright bold letters.


	2. ii

_Yeah, I suffocate quick  
__Does that make me a bitch?  
__I don't really care, no.  
_--**Don't Push Me, Sweetbox**

* * *

Chapter II  
**Hell Konoha**

Kankurou liked to say that I was one of the most sadistic females he had the displeasure of knowing, and that he found himself to be one of the most pitiful males because he happened to actually be related to me.

And while the comment only earned him a giant scratch that extended from one shoulder blade to the small of his back, I always thought he was right. I _was_ probably one of the most difficult to handle girls in all of Suna, and perhaps the globe.

Not that I'd admit to it out loud, of course. I still held some sort of dignity, even if it was bruised and battered and earned through various threats that still had several people looking over their shoulder in fear.

However, despite my lack of lady-like refinement, those who bothered to get to know me at all do admit that I have much to offer.

Like my intelligence; or my ability to process information at rapid speed and come up with various solutions after analysis; or the fact that as unladylike as I acted, I still looked very much like a girl—and a pretty one, at that. Sometimes.

Not that I cared or anything. Looks have never been quite important to me.

…Not a lot, anyway.

Even if I were pretty, I always thought, I'd never find a guy good enough to interest me. Or to interest them, for that matter.

And even though I'm a girl who might (though I shall always deny this, out loud or in the confinements of my mind) want to believe in finding some guy that might actually entertain her, I will never forgive my brother for what he said before I left the home that had been mine for nearly eighteen years of my life.

"Hope you get a boyfriend Gaara won't want to kill, Tema. And I hope he's a bitch, too. I mean, wouldn't it be funny if you fell for a bitch? Probably one younger, just for the fun of it."

If something like that were to ever happen, I would hold him accountable and proceed to kill him.

Brutally.

Weapon optional.

* * *

There is nothing better than a steaming warm cup of coffee in your hands as you walk to a new school, and just as you get there, you manage to scare three ten year old children enough to run to the other side of the street. 

At least, there isn't in my opinion.

See, the great things in life are often so small and compact and hidden behind harsh words thrown at kiddies still carrying around tin Power Ranger lunchboxes that they often pass regular people by. But not me. I jump at such opportunities. There is nothing quite like making people feel lesser in my shadow.

Not that I'm fat. I don't have such a great big shadow. It's meant as a metaphor to show how spectacular I am in comparison to the lesser beings that run around like loose animals.

However, I am not as cruel as I appear. I act tough to ensure that no one messes with me. Actually, there is very little acting that goes into it, but I am somewhat polite, and I can hold my tongue (when I bite it hard enough). I am just incredibly honest about the things I witness and research.

The grand Konoha Prep loomed ahead of me like a giant castle that held my impending doom. I was surprised it didn't have a giant, white banner hanging from the entrance with the words, "WELCOME TEMARI, WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY IN HELL!" to greet me.

But I _wasn't_ going to enjoy my stay, was I?

* * *

The academic structure of Konoha Prep was extremely different from Suna Academy. Suna Academy was much more rigorous and unforgiving in its curriculum, while Konoha allowed more freedom of choice in classes. However, seeing as it was extremely strange to me to be allowed such freedom, I chose all the classes I would have been obligated to take in Suna, and opted to go for only one elective instead of three. 

Even so, the classes weren't so bad. Especially Global Studies. It was incredibly interesting, and the teacher was so open to discussions that anything was up for the "Talk of the Day" session we had for the fifteen minutes at the end of the hour.

"So class," our teacher, Professor Gai, said as he prowled along the aisles our desks created. "What topic will most interest the youth inside all you blossoming teenagers?" The teacher had a tendency to stray from any global topic at all, and I had already been introduced to the classes' opinion on pregnancy, abortion, and Michael Jackson's nose.

There was silence, which was an odd occurrence, even in the two days since I had arrived. No one said a single word or let out a single breath, and Professor Gai seemed incredibly put out by the notion.

A moment later, he raised his arm and flung something—a piece of chalk, as I later discovered—at a student.

And, as I would come to learn as the months went by, the "throwing-a-piece-of-chalk-across-the-room" was a very popular move amongst the teachers, and served its purpose of gaining _every _student's attention.

I turned my head, following the whizzing white as it flew past my ear and hit its target directly on their bowed head. A few seconds later, the head rose, and that Nara kid rubbed the back of his hands against his eyes, trying to clear away the sleep that clung to his eyelashes.

"Shikamaru! We are so glad you could join us!"

His dark eyes widened slightly before regaining their half-lidded look of boredom as he shrugged and leaned further into his seat, arms crossing before his chest.

"Well," Professor Gai said, large eyes still staring directly at the young boy, "since you've been so kind as to grace us with your presence, I guess it's only fair that you come up with our topic discussion."

The dark haired kid looked sincerely pissed off as he regarded the class with a nonchalant look. His eyes traveled along the desks before he paused on mine.

"Suna."

Professor Gai's eyebrows rose for a moment before his smile split his face in half. "That is an _excellent_ choice! We can discuss all about Suna, especially in the honor of our new foreign exchange student, Sabaku Temari!"

I groaned and raised a finger to call for attention. "Can I not participate in this discussion?"

The teacher's horrified expression immediately had me apologizing and assuring him that I had made a mistake and that I hadn't actually meant such an atrocious thing as not participating in the discussion.

"Well, anyone have anything to say about Suna?"

"Hot guys," a girl commented, earning suppressed giggles from the rest of the girls and the groans of a few of the male students.

"Hot girls," a guy rebutted, earning some guffaws from the girls and a few nods from the guys.

"Amazing ancient architecture," a girl near the front said in a clipped voice. A second year, the youngest of the group besides Shikamaru.

"Always the geek," a boy mumbled.

"Actually," I interjected, shooting the boy a narrowed look. "I agree with her. Suna has amazing diversity among its archeological sites. They can be easily compared to the ancient Egyptian's work, as well as ancient Mayan and Aztec. The interesting fact is that these findings date to be around the same age as those of their Egyptian and South American comparisons."

Professor Gai nodded. "Yes, yes. You're quite right. Even through the ages, the pyramids and architectural designs of the ancient times still retain their youthfulness."

I nodded slowly.

"A topic your school focused heavily upon?"

I shook my head. "Suna's history is, of course, a topic, but the older stuff isn't actually a major concept. Our branch of local history delves more into the governmental aspect of it rather than the architecture that was involved in building the first Kaze's pyramid-tomb."

"Hey, Sabaku-sempai!"

I turned towards the sound of the voice, eyes focusing on the boy waving for my attention. A kid in my year, with dark hair and eyes, like most of his fellow classmates. "Why are the girls in Suna so hot?"

I stared. I blinked. Boys snickered.

"We live in a desert."

The girls snorted.

I scowled.

"While it is true that Suna females are regarded as major beauties of the world, along side Western beauties, South American exotic beauties, and the typical Oriental beauty, looks aren't considered much of a part of today's Suna cultural society, is that right?" Professor Gai interrupted.

I nodded. "While beauty may still play a part in the way our culture is heading, we tend to go on classical beauty. Westerners view a blonde haired, blue eyed girl as drop dead gorgeous; Asians view their dark haired, pale skinned, full-lipped females as goddesses; and some may view the exotic features of a South American as the sign of true beauty, Suna has quite a different take on the subject."

"What may that be?"

The question didn't come from the regular band of boys but from the lazy kid himself. He was wide awake now, although his head was still being supported by his propped up hands and elbows.

I turned to stare directly at him.

"Suna females tend to be rugged. Think Spartan women, without the shaving of the head bit. Very little of the women there can go by the pale standards, seeing as Suna is literally under the sun. Hair in Suna is dry, although it is quite difficult to find a shade darker than brown. Women are not normally stick-thin. Basically, our beauty is what others would view as average. What others see as average, to us is rare."

"So, Temari-san," Professor Gai said, clearly smiling, "would you be considered a beauty?"

I didn't look at him as I answered his question, my eyes still staring into the brown orbs that didn't blink and only reflected my rather scary face. "Perhaps. I'm quite average, even by Suna standards. There is nothing spectacularly unique about me." I might've been pretty, but I was far from being a beauty.

I heard some boys mumble out a, "You have a nice rack," but I ignored it.

After a few more moments, I shrugged, and turned back to face the front of the class, hoping my lesson on Suna was over. I stared directly at Professor Gai as he began humming a (youthful!) tune under his breath and prepared to dismiss the class. I could see the minutes trickle by slowly before the bell rang, resounding in my ears and pulsating in my bones.

In a moment, I had my things gathered and I was ready to head out. As I headed towards the door, ready to pass the threshold, the lazy, spiky-haired kid cut in front of me, though he did it so easily, so fluidly, even with his hands stuck in his pockets and his bag hanging from his shoulder.

I snarled and readied myself to go after him, but he was waiting by the door. It seemed his bag had fallen open, spilling his loose papers and cap less pens onto the floor. Ha. Karma. I smirked at his predicament, and he caught my eye, scowling all the while as he watched the amusement I got from his fallen bag. He stood up after collecting his things, frowning visibly.

"I don't think you're average."

I looked at him, eyebrow raised. "I beg your pardon?"

He shrugged. "You seem too bitchy to be average." He threw his newly recovered bag over his shoulder and stalked away, not sparing me another glance.

* * *

My elective, which was scheduled three times a week, was Japanese Culture, a subject that was, to be sure, quite ignored by the majority of the student population in Konoha Prep. It was a subject only true devotees could ever sit through, and was mostly just completed to its minimal degree and requisite. I, however, a total stranger to the culture, had enjoyed learning about it at school, and decided that it would be fun learning it from a more direct, closer-to-home source. 

When I entered the class for the first time, I was truly (and disgustingly) shocked to find the lazy bum sitting in a seat by the window, looking completely and utterly bored, head in his hands, eyes lidded and dead.

Walking to him, I took a seat beside him, placing my things on the table. I swung my body around to fully face him, but still didn't receive any acknowledgement.

After a while of blatantly staring at him, I grew increasingly bored and gave up. That is, until he mumbled,

"Why Japanese Culture?"

"It's interesting." I didn't bother to look at him. "And you?"

"I'm Japanese. Easy grade."

"Oh?"

"It tends to even out the failings of the other classes on the accumulative grade point average."

"I'm surprised to find you care."

"Mom," was his answer by way of explanation.

Of course. _He_ couldn't possibly care. Someone else had to make him do it. Which made me realize that this was your typical lazy guy. He had very little to offer and only did well when there was outside forces pushing him towards it. He seemed rather dull, and my expectations of Konoha descended to an all time, rock-bottom low.

Before I could utter another word, my gaze was drawn towards the door. There stood a dark haired boy with incredibly dark eyes, his demeanor dark and cold, just by the way his lips were pressed into a thin line and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed. The pink haired girl, Sakura, trailed a few steps behind him, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Sasuke-kun! Did you finish—"

She shut up halfway through her sentence as the boy I took to be called Sasuke turned around to fully look at her.

She seemed ready to faint.

"Sakura. Shut up."

She closed her mouth immediately just as her turned around and stalked into the room.

I found that my eyes could not stop staring.

"Ah, so you're one of _those_ girls."

Shikamaru's voice easily penetrated my train of thought (which mostly consisted of something along the lines of _Dear Gods, he's pretty handsome_) and brought me back to reality, where I was sitting beside him, the lazy genius, and the gorgeous boy that was made to be my mating partner was sitting way towards the front, being hounded upon by an eager Sakura, and away from me.

As I registered his words, I turned around angrily. "What kind of girl?"

He smirked and it only infuriated me even more. He then nodded towards the Sasuke guy. "The girl that goes for him."

I could feel my cheeks flare considerably as I stared out of the corner of my eyes at the guy, who was now blatantly ignoring Sakura and was instead focusing on the blackboard in front of him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "At first, you threw me off a little. You have the 'badass' attitude going for you. I thought you were different from the girls around here. But it turns out you're very much like them."

I could feel my hands shake as they turned into balls of fists. But I kept them still at my sides as I regarded him slowly. "How so?"

"You like the Incredible Sasuke, like all the other girls do, is all. Nothing more to it." And then he turned away and stared out at the window, completely absorbed by the freedom outside.

"You."

I felt my neck crack as I looked away from the lazy ass towards the sound of the voice. The Sasuke guy was staring my way, eyes narrowed.

I could feel my heart beat in my ears and my blood seemed to have started sloshing around in my veins. "Me?"

"No." He looked at me this time before looking away, this time at Shikamaru. "You."

Shikamaru turned his head. "What?" He sounded like speaking was too much trouble and had slurred the word.

"Ino said to meet Chouji and her after school at the barbeque place."

"Fine."

"What? You spoke to Ino?" Sakura's incredulous voice interrupted.

Sasuke gave her a narrowed stare. "She only asked me to pass on a message."

"That little bitch," the green-eyed girl mumbled before forming a shaking fist. "I'll kill her."

Sasuke turned back to Shikamaru. "I heard you won first place in the International Shougi Competition last week. I read you made your opponent cry when you told him you had calculated forty-three possible moves to win based on his final move alone."

In my mind's eye, my mental jaw dropped to the floor.

Shikamaru smirked and rubbed the back of his head. "It wasn't intentional. Making him cry, I mean. I thought it'd be nice to tell him. He was a good opponent."

And I sat through the middle of this only to discover that the blood in my veins had frozen over and my heart beat had stopped thundering in mid pound. For some reason, it came as a shock to me. That there was more to this lazy guy. More to those around him. More to everything I had assumed. My calculations were misguided. Or, better yet, he had made me guess these things only to prove me wrong. Intentionally or not.

"Look alive." Shikamaru was already ducking into the bend of his arms for a nap. "You sure won't catch his attention with that look on your face."

* * *

Lunch was the time for socializing. It's what the headmistress, Tsunade, told me the first time I met her as I was being slowly eased into the life of Konoha Prep and was being introduced to the teachers that would accompany me throughout the year. 

And I dislike socializing. So while I was heading towards the library (I had stumbled upon it on my first day at the school, trying to find my way to class and refusing to ask for directions), completely decided on not going to lunch for the third day, my stomach grumbled angrily and churned in the most unpleasant way that I was turning my heels and stalking back towards the sound of excited idiots screaming loudly over the sound of people chewing in a mere matter of seconds.

Walking in, I noticed that most of the students stopped what they were doing to stare at me. Before I could feel uncomfortable, I walked towards a table that looked partially empty and claimed a seat at the end, throwing down my things and rifling through my bag for the food Baki-san had made for me in an attempt to make sure I wasn't starving at school.

"Ah, e-excuse me."

I looked up to find a girl staring down at me curiously with incredibly light gray eyes, her hair a strange mixture of black and blue that I found uncommon, even to Konoha standards. Her lips were small and pursed as she stared at me, full-on questioning.

"Yes?"

She shifted from one foot to another nervously, hands behind her back. "I noticed you were s-sitting alone, so I-I—"

"Go ahead."

She nodded immediately. "Thank you, thank you." She took a seat and revealed what she had kept behind her back—a bento box. She removed the lid with careful gentleness and poked at the contents with the portable chopsticks she had packed in a thin, compact case specifically designed for them.

"I a-am Hyuuga Hinata."

Hyuuga. It was familiar. The name was big in business, and probably uncommon. I was sure my father had once upon a time ago been involved in a business related project with them.

"Sabaku no Temari."

She nodded, a small smile playing on her delicate features. "Yes. Your family is known to m-m-mine."

"Stop stuttering."

She blanched, and her nearly-white eyes widened considerably. "I'm s-s-s-sorry, Temari-san."

I shrugged. "You stutter when you're nervous, don't you? Stop it. I won't bite you." Hard.

She nodded slowly.

"Eat." I demonstrated my command by taking a bite of whatever it was Baki-san had prepared. It tasted like shit, but I could appreciate the man's sentiment. Besides, he was in Konoha only for me, and I could tell he grew irritated by staying at the temporary apartment my father had fixed up for us all day waiting for me to arrive from school. The least I could do was eat whatever the hell he had packed me for lunch.

She didn't need any more encouragement and dug in. She ate politely and delicately, like any proper lady with her upbringing should. The more I looked at her, the more it became apparent that she was of the highest class, and probably the heir of the company her family ran. If I remembered correctly, the eldest child of the main family was a girl who, at the time I had read the information, had graduated middle school and was heading into a renowned high school.

Konoha was proving to be more and more interesting. I kept finding that the people that littered the halls and classrooms were not as mindless and pathetic as I had first perceived them to be. And while I already had a list of people I disliked, I found that most of the others that didn't bother me so much were quite tolerable.

Like this Hinata girl. She didn't talk a lot.

"How old are you, Temari-san?" Ah. So she was trying to make conversation. There went my hopes.

"Seventeen," I said, without skipping a beat.

"I am fifteen," she responded, pausing only a moment after swallowing her food.

"And you're a freshman?"

"Yes."

"And you're fifteen."

"That is correct. Most of the freshmen are sixteen, while only a few of us remain fifteen."

"Ah, Sasuke-kun, you're eating lunch—"

The name alone took my attention away from Hinata towards Sakura, the blonde girl who I had seen earlier that morning talking to a half-awake Shikamaru, Ino, and Sasuke standing near the entrance of the cafeteria. Both had extended their arms out with bento boxes in their hands, and I assumed both had had the same thought in giving the boy lunch.

Bitches.

He regarded the two coolly before turning away from them and heading off to the side before being hounded upon by another group of girls, this time louder and more obnoxious than the other two.

"That always happens here," Hinata informed me.

"Is that so? The two girls always attack him?"

"Almost all the girls do. He's the most liked boy in the entire school. Though I personally don't see what is so great about him. Although he is the present heir of his family's company."

"What company?"

"Uchiha Enterprise."

Ah. _That_ Sasuke.

"Eh! Sasuke! What're you disruptin' lunch for?"

I turned back towards Sasuke, who was now being haggard by a blond boy with scars on his cheek. Sasuke wasn't even looking at him.

"Shut up, dobe."

"Fuck you, asshole. I ate your lunch anyway."

"You eat anything."

"Bite me, fuckface."

"Clever."

"Dickwad."

"You've been hanging around Sai to much."

"Did someone mention me?"

A guy with the most feminine features (and while that alone may seem unnerving, the fact that he was in Konoha, which seemed to me to be the breeding grounds of feminine looking boys, and looked even more feminine than the norm was unnatural) popped in, his shirt riding up to reveal his pale, flat stomach.

"Aw fuck," the blond said, groaning with displeasure. "The other dickwad."

Sai smiled, his eyes narrowing that it was impossible to see them. "At least I have a dick, Naruto-kun."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and began to walk away from them, before Naruto blocked his path.

"No way. You fuckin' insulted me, so I'm gonna rip your head off."

"You'd have to reach me first, dobe."

"Fuck, man! Fuck you calling me dobe for? If anything, you're the idiot for denying Sakura-chan."

"If she's so great, _you_ have her then."

Naruto opened his mouth to retort but later closed it, seemingly unable to find a comeback. "Shut up, Sasuke!"

"Intelligent retort," Sasuke noted, smiling wickedly, before walking away, Naruto on his heels and Sai following shortly afterward.

"They're best friends," Hinata then explained to me, as I turned to face her with what I assumed to be a surprised expression.

"…Are you sure?"

"Mm."

"Ugh!" Before I could even look at the speaker, I felt someone take a seat beside me, swinging their legs exaggeratedly enough to thump me on my own leg. I looked to the side, watching as the girl I took to be Ino, flung her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she shook her head angrily and glared at someone in front of her, who turned out to be Sakura as she took a seat beside Hinata.

"The forehead before me—"

"I'll stab you with my chopsticks if you keep on, Pig!"

"—thinks that Sasuke would choose her, Hinata! Can you believe the absurdity behind the claim?"

"Oh, like he'd go for the dumb blonde," Sakura mumbled.

I glared at her.

"I mean Ino, Temari-sempai."

I grunted.

"He doesn't like girls with short hair," Ino remarked victoriously, pointedly staring at the short hair Sakura sported.

I absently fingered the ends of my hair, which were only up to my shoulders when released from their pigtails.

"He doesn't like loud, obnoxious girly-girls either," Sakura threw back, adding her tongue as an afterthought.

Ino stomped her foot dangerously close to mine. "At least I look like a girl."

Sakura's mouth widened slightly before she erupted. "I HAVE PINK HAIR FOR GOODNESS SAKES."

"DAMN YOU, YOU LITTLE BRAT."

"SUCK A DICK, ANOREXIC."

"CHOKE ON ONE, MUSCLE MAN."

The two were glaring daggers at each other. If looks could kill, the two would find themselves drowning in puddles of their own spilt blood.

Hinata giggled nervously and shook her head at them. "Girls, you're making a scene."

"Forehead started it," Ino stated bitterly, not sparing the other girl a glance.

"They sound like my brother when he's drunk," I remarked offhandedly, deciding whether or not to finish my meal. The more I stared at it, the more curious I became to know what the hell it was, and what the contents were.

Because the more and more I looked at it, the more and more it appeared to be something inedible. And perhaps poisonous. And fatal.

I wasn't even quite sure Baki-san was able to cook. Granted, the man was gifted in many things, but the last time he had tried back in Suna, after being left in charge of the three Sabaku children, he had the entire stove set up in flames and had to call Kankurou and I in for reinforcement as he attacked the fire with pathetic excuses of rags. In the end, it was Gaara who came in and tamed the fire, before glaring at us and calling us a trio of idiots who only disrupted him as he studied.

"You have brothers, Temari-san?" Ino asked curiously, and although she had turned to look at me, she had spared Sakura a last glare.

"Yes. Two."

"Are they cute?" Ino inquired, a giggle laced through her words.

"One has purple tattoos on his face while the other wears my eyeliner."

Sakura seemed troubled by the image. "Are they younger?"

"Yes. Kankurou is turning seventeen soon while Gaara is turning sixteen in January."

"So you're the eldest child. Do you have to take care of them?"

I nodded. "Occasionally. Kankurou has a bad habit of being an idiot, especially in regards to alcohol. Gaara keeps mostly to himself."

"I wish I had brothers," Sakura sighed.

While I wanted to sympathize with the lot of girls (it was revealed that none of them actually had siblings, save for Hinata who had a younger sister), I didn't there to be many great aspects to having brothers, or any major setbacks. Although admittedly, deep down in my heart, somewhere amongst the rest of the organs compiled into my body, I truly cared for the two, they didn't necessarily seem to care all that much in return.

Especially since they hadn't even called me to make sure I had arrived safely.

And I had been in Konoha for nearly four days.

"I'll be back in a bit," Ino suddenly said, pushing herself off her seat. "I'm off to make sure Shikamaru is eating, and Chouji isn't."

"Hey Ino," Sakura called after her, "you're going to regret saying that about Chouji! Watch you fall hopelessly in love with him."

"Please, Sakura. Don't make me want to kill you any more." She sped away, skipping along the tables in the lunch room before sitting beside a big guy with flaming red hair and taking his chopsticks, holding them away from him. Shikamaru sat in front of them, looking bored, watching them warily.

There was something about him, I decided, that intrigued me. He didn't look intelligent, but I knew from prior experience that just because someone didn't look it didn't mean they weren't.

Especially when it came to him.

* * *

**AN:** I despise this chapter, probably because there is so little ShikaTema interaction, and because I had to set up some backstory for Suna in its modern world setting. Hopefully you guys won't mind. I think of Suna a bit like Egypt, without all the traditions and cultural aspects about it. My uncle would be so proud to learn his birthplace was how I envisioned my favorite female character's home. sigh 

Anyway. I edited the first chapter. Not majorly (only one word was change) but it COMPLETELY changes the story timeline. It isn't October, it's April. Japanese school terms start in April, so I had to change that bit. The story will be held back a bit (which is why I haven't posted anything) because many of the events that were following revolved around winter and so now I have to move those further back and bring in the scenes that wouldn't have been scene until later and adapt them to fit the story. So sorry about that.

Regarding ages. Yes, Temari and Shikamaru have a three year age gap. But that looks SO wrong when... you know... their future relationship in this story is analyzed. So they're two years apart here. It would have remained three, but after analyzing and re-analyzing (is that even a word?!?!?!) I realized she couldn't be eighteen and stay in school, unless she failed a year. (Most Japanese students are out of school by the age of eighteen, unless they failed.)

Oh, and the word "dobe" is something Sasuke often calls Naruto in the series that's something like "idiot". I won't be using many Japanese words, unless when it comes to the surrounding to make it more... natural.

So there you have it.


	3. iii

_I'm obsessed and stressed with this mess  
I can't think of things  
To write down  
To type down_  
--**Risque, Cute is What We Aim For**

* * *

Chapter III  
**Still Too Lazy To Come Up With a Name.**

"You haven't shown Temari around."

The owner of the voice belonged to Sakura. And she was hovering above me. In front of my desk. Her green eyes glaring. Her nonexistent breasts directly in my range of sight.

"Would you mind removing your breasts from my view?"

She scowled and took a seat in the empty desk beside me. "She's new, Shikamaru. Don't you feel any sympathy towards her?"

"No."

Her scowl deepened. "Honestly, I only ask you to show her around. But you completely ignore my request." I was pretty sure that the word request should have been changed to demand. But I didn't tell her that. "She's new, for goodness sakes. Even if you're a freshman, you've been taking classes here longer than any of us." That's what I got for giving her my vote for class president. Next time, I'd vote for the hamster. It'd do a better job at leaving me along, at least.

"But I don't actually care."

She leaned towards me, green eyes narrowed, making her forehead look even larger. "Shikamaru. Let me put it simply. If you do not show Temari-san—"

"It's alright."

I looked up to find the foreign exchange student standing before us, hips cocked to one side, a hand on her hip. She had dumped her bag on the desk in front of me and was now staring pointedly at the two of us.

"Temari-san—" Sakura began.

She held up a hand to stop the girl from continuing. "It's alright. I've roamed the school enough already."

I smirked. "See?"

Sakura glared. I didn't utter a word.

"You know, for being an asshole, the least you could do is invite Temari-san for lunch after school. And pay."

"Troublesome." I shrugged. "I can't, anyway. My mother found me some part-time job and I have to show up today." But I was sort of glad for the excuse. I wasn't sure how I could handle taking the foreign girl out for after school lunch.

"Doing what?" Sakura asked, intrigued.

"I'm not sure. I just agreed to keep the hag from talking and bothering me the rest of the night."

"She's your mother," Sakura gasped, looking around anxiously as if the hag herself would show up. I wouldn't have been surprised if she did. The hag was good at that sort of "showing-up-out-of-nowhere" thing.

"Exactly," I mumbled.

I spared the blonde girl a glance only to find her staring at me, her dark blonde eyebrows furrowed in contemplation. She didn't move or say a word when I looked at her, which was odd, seeing as people don't usually like being stared at so openly. But after a few moments, she looked away on her accord, and didn't say another word to me for the remainder of the homeroom period.

She was a strange thing, this Sabaku no Temari. There was no labeling her. I could tell she was intelligent, and she carried herself with an entirely different demeanor then the rest of the girls. And she had this brash way of letting everyone know she wasn't one to mess around with.

Which was, frankly speaking, scary as shit.

* * *

As I was changing my shoes before going on my way to whatever the place was the hag that bore me was making me go to, I felt Chouji and Ino near me. I could tell by Ino's decorated school shoes (which were then switched to black boots) and Chouji's simple black converse that they were standing in front of me, waiting patiently for me. 

"Eh?" I said as I stood up straight, done with slipping into my regular outside shoes. "I thought I told you guys I had work."

"Your mother called Daddy and asked him if I could make sure you got there."

Chouji nodded and handed me an onigiri. "Same here."

I groaned. The hag was everywhere. Why'd she go and call _them_ for? As if she didn't trust me.

Well. She had a point. I'd probably have found an escape route.

Taking the onigiri, I led the way out of the school building, Chouji and Ino on either side. Ino then began to regale us with her day at school, although only Chouji bothered to pay any attention and was kind enough to answer for the both of us.

It turned out that the address on the slip of paper the hag had handed to me that morning was in one of the richest parts of Konoha, and halfway across the other side of town. Thankfully, Ino had lived there during a year of her life and could easily show Chouji and me the way. Of course, I was the one who led the group, seeing as I was in no particular mood to admit that a female had showed me around.

We stopped at a large apartment building that seemed to correspond with the number and lettering of the hag's script. Ino gasped at the sight while Chouji chose to whistle.

"Rich."

I shrugged. "Let's get this over with. I need a job anyway." Though I couldn't help if my eyes continued to glance up every once in a while to take in the spectacular sight of the building, which was tall enough to block out the sun and a few clouds.

"Why?" Ino asked, already leading the way inside.

"Because _you_ keep spending my money."

She scoffed and swatted her hand at Chouji, which he easily avoided. "He's the one always eating with your money."

"I'm his best friend," he responded, slightly offended. "I'm supposed to eat with his money."

I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter. It's inevitable that I earn some money. I might as well do the job." As long as I wasn't required to do anything that would really need me to exert some effort.

Inside, the receptionist, a man in his late thirties, greeted us with a pleasant smile on his face. "You are here for?" He didn't say it rudely. And his smile reached his eyes, which was a good thing. I liked people like that. And he'd only used four words to ask me a question. That was even _better_.

I handed him the paper, too lazy to explain. The man read it quickly and picked up a phone, dialing a number and waiting.

"Baki-san, a young man is here to see you." He paused and looked at me, as if silently questioning me on why the hell a guy like me was doing in a building like that wanting to see whoever it was Baki-san was.

"Job."

"For a job, he says."

"_Send him up_."

"Room 42," he said, smiling. Good guy. I liked him already.

I nodded at Ino and Chouji. "Wait here."

Ino gave me a smile. "Of course." She turned to Chouji. "Come on." She took his arm and pulled him, taking him wherever she wanted to go.

I left the two and started towards the elevator.

Whatever this job was, I knew it would pay dearly. By the looks of it, the people were filthy rich, especially to afford such living. I mean, there were statues in the hallway down to the elevator. There were chandeliers hanging every few feet. And the elevator wasn't a crappy one but one with wallpaper and plush carpet. _Carpet_.

When I got to the apartment door, I felt my insides churn, as if warning me not to go through with it. And while I was tempted to turn on my heels and stalk away, the hag would only harass me until I showed up again, and then I'd have done the trip twice for no reason.

Sucking in my worries, I knocked once.

"Baki-san," a voice inside called, and it sounded awfully familiar. But I ignored it. I didn't know anyone who could afford such a living. Besides Ino. And Hinata. Oh, and Sasuke. And maybe that kid that sat at the front of my English class. But he didn't count.

A moment later, the door opened to reveal a man in his early thirties with dark skin and a white hat covering his head as well as one eye. He gave me a cold look before opening the door further and allowing me inside.

The apartment was huge, and I'd only seen the entrance. There was a small dip in the floor where a row of shoes (mainly female shoes) greeted me. Without saying a word, I removed my own shoes and took the slippers the man placed before me.

He bowed his head and extended his hand. "I am Baki." I could tell he was from Suna. He spoke with an accent similar to the blonde thing at school, though it was thicker and more noticeable. However, he was understandable, and his Japanese was perfectly accented.

Did all Suna people speak Japanese so well?

I mean, really. It was expected of Temari, who looked as if she had some sort of Japanese in her, therefore wasn't weird she spoke the language so well. But the man in front of me? No. Way. And he probably spoke it better than me, too. After all, I was always too lazy to say things correctly.

I knew he was waiting for me to introduce myself, because he stared at me expectantly. "Ah. Nara." He probably didn't give a shit about my first name. Besides, my family name did hold a bit of a reputable past in both Konoha and Japan, so if he had done any research, he'd known he'd gotten a seemingly good candidate for the job. Sort of.

He nodded. He moved away from me and began to head towards what I assumed was the meeting room. I followed.

"You will be escorting the young lady I have guardianship over."

"A girl?" I couldn't suppress the groan. The female shoes at the entrance should have been the red flag that sent me running out without another look back.

He turned. "Yes."

Just my luck.

He stopped before a door and held an open palm outwards, silently telling me that I'd be stepping through the threshold and coming face to face with doom. "We will discuss your duties further in her presence."

"Alright, alright." I could mentally hear the hag scowling at me and telling me that one was supposed to answer with one yes, not two.

He slid the door and bowed deeply. I followed suit, just because it looked important. And I didn't want to look at the girl's face. Not yet, anyway.

"Hell no."

I looked up quickly at the sound of the voice.

The blonde she-devil of Suna was kneeling before me, clad in a dark yukata tied with a red obi. Her mouth was open in a grimace of shock as she looked at me, and I was pretty sure my face reflected her own expression.

"You!"

Baki looked at me. "Do you know Temari-san?"

I groaned. "Unfortunately."

"Piss off, Nara boy. It's not like I want to know you, either." She was feistier out of school. For some reason, that made my stomach sink further.

"Temari." Baki sounded stern.

She scowled.

"He will be the young man escorting you around Konoha."

"Hell I need a little boy to show me around town for? Does his mother even know he's here?"

"The hag was the one who made me come for the job," I ground out. There was honestly no point to women. Especially that one.

She smirked devilishly. "Isn't she worried what an older woman like me might do to a boy like you? Lord knows I'll be keeping you out late."

"Temari! That's improper!"

She gave Baki a bored look. "Would you like me to tell you what I've done those nights I didn't come home?" The laughter in her voice was practically dripping off her tongue.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, since the two of you know each other, I assume there will be no need for introductions. You will begin tomorrow. I will leave the two of you to make plans." He bowed his head and quickly exited, probably acknowledging the murderous gaze Temari had written in her eyes.

"Sit," she commanded.

I didn't.

"Fine. Stand for all I care."

I did.

"What're you doing here?"

"I need money."

"Sell yourself."

"You're an annoying one."

"Sit," she said, though this time it was positively threatening.

I did. But slowly. Obviously, it irritated her.

She stared at me a moment longer before reaching for something behind her—a magazine. She flipped through the pages. "Pretend we're discussing something."

"Can't I just leave?"

"No." She didn't even bother to look up.

Shrugging, I looked around. It looked like the rooms I would be see in the dramas the hag was usually watching by the time I arrived home from school. A washitsu, as I learned they were called, seeing that even though my mother was one of the most traditional Japanese to ever migrate to Konoha, she was much too busy to include the room in our home.

Though I was incredibly shocked to find it in an apartment being rented by a foreigner.

The tatami flooring was just how I always saw them in the dramas: crisp and barely used. The table separating us had only a few things on its surface, most notably a white cell phone I took to belong to the she-devil. There were also a few magazines haphazardly pushed under the table, and I could spot one of them being Shonen Jump, which made me want to crack a joke on her inability to be a true female, even while clad in a yukata.

As I looked at her, though, I found she could probably pull of the female look quite easily. And the way she sat, even with her back straight, just screamed sensuality, especially with the way the front slipped lower than what I knew to be normal, and the way the left shoulder's sleeve was dripping.

If I had been a perverted, horny fifteen year old as was expected of me, I would have probably been hindered by a _growing_ problem on the lower half of my body.

Thankfully, women annoyed me just as much as my hormones did, which always led to a clash that neutralized each other.

She was still blatantly ignoring me, scanning over the words of the magazine quickly by the way her eyes moved. She was fluent in Japanese, I realized, since I ran over our conversations and found her accent was barely noticeable.

Her eyes stopped moving, and I took it she stumbled upon something she did not understand. Then, without warning, she looked up at me and frowned.

"Stop looking at me," she stated.

I choked. "What?"

"You're staring. Stop."

I shrugged. "There isn't much else to do."

She reached for the other magazines and slid one across the floor to me. It stopped just short of my foot. "There. Entertain yourself."

"Can't I leave _now_?"

She didn't bother to answer. I took the magazine and stared at the cover, uninterested in the pretty girl modeling that issue's _Amazing Winter Clothing_.

She went back to her reading, and flipped the page. Her fingers were slim, I noticed, and although I didn't take her to be one of the girls obsessed with her looks (like Ino), I did notice that her nails were perfectly clipped and filed.

Temari was pretty, I had to admit. Even with the whole Venus flytrap thing going on. Rugged, sort of. Almost animalistic. Like a boy, but not like one. While Ino was obviously feminine and dressed that way and made sure everyone knew she was quite female, thank you very much, Temari was more subdued and controlled. Sort of mature, I suppose. She sat with her back straight, her legs were folded awkwardly, and her arm was slumped. She cocked her head as she read, and the pale expanse of her neck was taut and perfectly flawless. It was unnerving to see a female like that, without any false appearances, and seemingly so imperfect.

It was the sound of a phone ringing that brought me back. She seemed as utterly surprised as I did. She reached for her vibrating white phone on the small table and checked the ID before her eyes widened and she quickly flipped the phone on.

"Hello?"

There was silence for a moment before I heard, "_Temari,_" on the other line.

"Gaara?"

"_And Kankurou, too, you know._"

"…I arrived five days ago," she said flatly.

"_We were aware of the fact._"

"Does it hurt to act like you give a shit?" she responded, clearly irritated, though her fingers were playing idly with the only charm that hung from her phone. An open fan with three purple dots.

"_We're calling, aren't we?_" That sounded like the Kankurou guy. The other one, Gaara, sounded much more monotone and calm.

"…How is it over there?"

"_Hot_."

"_And shitty. When the fuck are you coming back?_"

She smiled slightly, and I found myself completely frightened by the look.

It was different from the smirk I had seen plastered on her face at school.

"You guys are coming in December."

"_You're getting us gifts, right? 'Cause I'll be damned if I travel across half the world to see your ass and I ain't getting shit._"

"_Your profane language is making my ears bleed. Shut up or I'll make you._"

The blonde closed her eyes. "Both of you stop. You'll get gifts. Make sure Father-dearest sends some money."

"_You've been sucking the guy dry of all his money, Tema. He's been bitchin' about it all week._"

"Good."

"_Take out food has become bland_."

"So you guys aren't eating?!" She sounded sincerely worried. The way her teal eyes widened and her eyebrows furrowed made it more obvious.

"_Barely._"

"_And Dad won't get us a cook 'cause he says we're ungrateful little shits_."

"But—"

"_We are fine, however. You needn't worry._"

I coughed.

"I should get going," she said miserably, and I shook my head to tell her it wasn't necessary.

"_Aww, alright. We'll call some other time_."

She nodded. "Bye."

"_We miss you. We will wait to see you come December._"

She smiled sadly. "Yeah. I miss you guys, too."

"_Wait!_"

"What, Kanky?"

There was some incomprehensible cursing before "_The fuck, Tema! What'd I say about calling me that?_"

"_Language, Kanky_."

"_You too, Gaara? Fuck you both. Shit._"

"What was it, Kankurou?"

"_Much better. Just wondering if you found a guy yet_."

She coughed. "No. Well, there is this one guy. He's a looker. His name is Sasuke and—"

"_Eww. The fuck? I don't actually want to know this shit. Get friends. Bye._"

There was a click and she laughed. Or more like cackled.

I figured they were nearly about the same thing.

"My brothers," she explained to me, placing the phone back on the table and going back to her reading.

"Hey woman, lets just decide where I gotta take you around tomorrow and call it a day. I have a life, you know."

She glanced up briefly. "You do?"

I sighed. This was really getting us no where.

She closed the magazine and pushed it away. "Fine."

"Where do you want to go?"

She stared blankly at me, eyelashes fluttering every time she blinked. "I. Don't. Know."

I groaned. This was going to be difficult. I needed someone like Ino—

Ino!

I stood up. "Would you mind if I brought a friend?"

"I'm not paying them."

"Er, that's alright. I'll share my money. But she knows all about—"

"_Ino_?"

I stopped. "Yeah." I hadn't realized she would have already met Ino. Don't know why I hadn't figured it out before—Ino somehow managed to know _everyone_.

She shrugged. "Fine."

"Good." I stopped. "But… what would you like to do?"

"Tomorrow is Saturday, correct?"

I blinked. "I guess."

She stared at me curiously before nodding slowly. "Then I would like to do something fun."

"Fun?" I repeated.

"Yes. Fun."

"Girl stuff fun?"

"Like?"

"I don't know. Shopping?" Girls liked that, right?

"I suppose."

"Hn."

I really would need Ino.

* * *

"NARA SHIKAMARU! GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP FROM BED!" 

I groaned and further immersed my head into the fluffy goodness of my pillow. The hag's voice was faint in the background, and I could only tell she was downstairs by the lack of stomping on the stairs.

After a few seconds of trying to go back into peaceful slumber, I cracked an eye open and saw the time on the digital clock thing on my bedside table.

10:43 AM.

…Fuck.

After having told Ino about my new job and how I would require her help, she had told me to call the Suna girl and arrange for her to be ready by 11 in the morning and waiting downstairs for us to pick her up. And now there were seventeen minutes left 'til the arranged time and I had yet to get out of my bed.

Throwing off my comforter, I struggled to get out of bed, only to find my legs tangled on one of the sheets. After a few unsuccessful tries of getting out of the knot, I finally yanked myself out and hurried into my bathroom, grabbing a pair of jeans and a somewhat clean shirt from the pile that was slowly growing near my bed on the way.

After brushing my teeth and a quick shower the hag would call "just pouring water," I made it out of the bathroom and grabbed my cell phone, which had probably been breeding with the dust bunnies under my bed. I was lucky enough to always have kept it connected to its charger, too lazy to look for it during school days and mostly forgetting to remember it on weekends.

When I got downstairs, the hag was already waving a piece of mackerel as her form of greeting. "Ino has been waiting for ages."

I shrugged and took hold of the mackerel, careful to avoid the hand that was coming up to slap me in the back of my head.

"I was sleeping."

The hag clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I'm going to have to fix this attitude of yours, young man."

"Yes, yes."

"What was that?"

I gulped a piece of the mackerel down, reaching over for a glass of water, which she had already poured for me as she was berating me. "Yes, Mother."

She nodded and sent me off towards the living room, where Ino was giggling at the sight of American cartoons.

"Hey. We're late," she said when she heard me from behind, waving at me with the back of her hand. I took a seat beside her, watching as a cat-dog thing pranced across the television screen.

I nodded and handed her my remaining piece of mackerel. She took it without looking, stuffing it into her mouth and then taking hold of my glass of water. "Shall we get going?"

I stood up and watched as she unfolded her legs from under herself and stretched, handing me my water, which I drained the rest of. She then turned off the TV, waving goodbye to the hag and telling her to tell my dad that she sends her regards, and that her daddy wanted us to come over for dinner.

Ino's family, as well as Chouji's, was an old family friend from Japan. While I had been born in Japan, their families had moved to Konoha before their births. However, my family moved only a few weeks after I had decided to grace the world with my presence, and Konoha had been my home since then.

Our families had always been great friends, and it was never awkward to see the three fathers slouching around in one of the houses, or otherwise in one of the local bars, drunk silly and exchanging battle stories while teasing Ino's dad about being the only one incapable of giving up the necessary chromosome to make a baby boy.

And since we had practically grown up around each other, it wasn't weird to go to one another's houses and act like part of the family. It was never surprising to wake up and find either Chouji or Ino making themselves comfortable on the couch, watching TV or otherwise informing my mother on how awful I was doing in school.

"Hurry the hell up, Shika," Ino berated, already waiting for me by the door, knee-length boots tied carefully, striped socks peeking just above the end.

I shushed her, ushering her outside once I'd slipped into my own shoes. "Stop it. My mother already thinks we're together." Or more like planning on how to _get_ us together.

"Together?"

I wiggled my pinky, and she cursed, disgusted.

"No way," she said, taking my arm and pulling me after her. "You're too uncool for me."

I allowed her to pull me around, though I was tempted to yell out that this was harassment. "Woe."

We arrived at the she-devil's apartment building ten minutes late. We were met with a thoroughly angry blonde, her teal eyes flashing anger.

"You're late," she said to me, arms crossed before her chest, foot tapping.

"Train." So I was lying. But it was better to save my ass.

She released an angry sigh and greeted Ino cordially, choosing to ignore me. I allowed myself to take a look at her then. It was weird seeing her outside of school, not dressed in the uniform or the yukata that had, surprisingly, fit her quite well. She wore a white tee with baggy pants, her hair in the typical four ponytail mass she'd shown up in on the first day of school.

"Don't worry, it'll be fun! I know great places to shop. Trust me," Ino assured her, flashing the other blonde a smile that lit up her face. Temari, however, seemed completely unaffected.

I groaned. "She does. This is why we spend hours in those damn stores."

Ino grabbed my nose out of no where and turned it before releasing me. "You should be thankful. You're wearing clothing that actually fit you because of me."

"Why thank you, Ino," I said sarcastically.

"Hey, stop being sarcastic. The only reason you have underwear is because I actually care."

"You buy it with _my_ money," I reminded her gently, even as I shifted uncomfortably. I didn't like talking about my underwear. I particularly didn't like talking about the underwear Ino forcibly bought for me.

The she-devil looked at us both. "You're together?" She wiggled her pinky in emphasis.

"Eww," Ino said, hardly paying any attention. "No way. We're best friends. Practically siblings."

"Unfortunately."

"I see," Temari said, voice carefully void of any betraying emotions. I liked the way she played the game. She was an observer, like me, and she was using the information Ino was willingly giving her to figure me out. Not that there was much to figure out about me. I was exactly how I appeared: boring and uninteresting.

We went around the shopping center in Downtown Konoha for nearly the entire afternoon, and I was disgusted to find that the Suna foreigner was very girly in the aspect of shopping. She also seemed to have an affinity with the color purple, which made Ino squeal and proclaim the foreigner her new awesome shopping buddy.

As they were trying on clothes, _again_, I sat in one of the big furry chairs left for the poor souls that came with their girlfriends, and was immediately thrust into the conversations said boyfriends start out of sheer boredom.

"Mine has been in there for about thirty minutes," the guy beside me said, running a hand through his blonde highlighted hair. He looked ready to kill himself.

"Twenty," the one beside him said.

"I just… started?" While I usually found myself in the position of having to follow Ino around an entire afternoon as she shopped 'til she dropped, I usually entertained myself by wandering outside and only returning when Ino texts my cell phone. But now since I was showing the she-devil around, I had to make sure I was thereto listen to her every complaint about the store, never mind that it wasn't _me_ who brought her.

"Honey-y-y-y," a high-pitched voice called, and following it appeared a thin girl in her early twenties, sporting a miniskirt that allowed the world to see she had great legs. "How does it look?"

The guy beside me nodded. "Beautiful. Just like you." She turned, satisfied, and went back to her little changing room.

"She's hot," the other guy noted approvingly.

"Thanks."

At that moment, I could hear Ino going, "Temari-san, are you ready?" and the other blonde's grunt in approval. I heard doors open and Ino's squeal of cuteness, which made me feel nauseated.

"Shika," I heard, and I looked up to find Ino clad in a skimpy dress, a tiny hint of breasts peeking out from the front dip. "What'd you think?"

"I'm supposed to have an opinion?"

She scowled and turned to watch as Temari stepped into view, pulling at the skirt she wore.

The guy beside me sputtered and I could practically hear his mind going haywire. Good thing his girlfriend wasn't out to see this.

Temari looked like the regular girls: sorta slutty. Not to mention, she had the most amazing legs I had seen, and I was even comparing her to the novelties in Naruto's porn magazines.

"I don't like it," she clearly stated, despite Ino's constant "ooh"s and "ahh"s of approval. She looked uncomfortable, constantly pulling at the hem to attempt to make the skirt cover more of her thigh.

"Why not?" Ino asked.

"I feel fat."

Ino rolled her eyes and turned to me. "Shika, does Temari-san look fat?"

I didn't waste a beat. "Yes." I was only half lying.

The she-devil growled at me and stalked away, before pausing, turning around, and throwing me the dirtiest look.

"Dude," the guy beside me said, shaking his head sadly. "You ain't getting shit tonight."

I shrugged. "Not my girlfriend, anyway."

"Really?"

"She's a foreigner and I'm touring her around the city. The other one is my best friend, and she's the only one who knows about these girl things."

"Well," the guy said, looking towards the other guy, seeking agreement for what he was going to say, "when you try to get laid with her, she's only going to remind you of the situation."

"What?" I said. "I don't want to get laid with her."

"Yeah, right. Maybe not now, but you will."

I completely ignored him and was thankful when Temari stalked out angrily. She didn't even wait for me, just stomped by and away, blonde hair bouncing, while I watched her back.

I wasn't sure why it bothered me so much, but the tiny little fact that I couldn't picture the look on her face made my skin crawl. I, Nara Shikamaru, a brilliant observer and someone who can easily figure a person out, was completely stumped by whatever the hell Sabaku no Temari was.

* * *

**Japanese Words:**

**Washitsu:** a traditional Japanese room with tatami mats and wooden, sliding doors and stuff. A lot of the newer apartment buildings in Japan don't have these rooms, which is why Shikamaru was surprised to find Temari's apartment had one. And while many homes still have this room, most only have one. But Shika isn't in Japan anymore. Lol. So yes, pretty contradicting. An apartment building has it but a home doesn't. Blah.

* * *

**AN: SO! Another chapter. Posted much earlier than the last one, ha. Anyway, someone posted something about Temari liking Sasuke and stuff, and I just wanted to assure people that this IS a ShikaTema fic. So even if she does have a crush on Sasuke, it will eventually fade away, just like it did in the manga/anime. So no worries. **

**Please review! IT'S ALSO MY BIRTHDAY IN… APPROXIMATELY THREE HOURS (July 30). So be a dear and leave me reviews for my birthday present, okaaay?**

**ShikaTema moments will come in time. First they have to establish SOME sort of relationship.**


	4. iv

_You know, it only breaks my heart  
To see you standing in the dark alone.  
--_Stranded, Plumb

* * *

Back home, physical education was required in every grade. Girls and boys had separate classes and changed in separate rooms. They could hardly see each other during the period at all, which was a good thing. Many of the girls worried about how they looked sweaty and tired. 

In Konoha Prep, it seemed that this wasn't the case. The school demanded equality in the sexes. That, and there were fewer girls and way too many boys. So girls and boys participated in the same classes.

And the gym classes were split in a manner that all years were mixed together. This was to assure that no special bonds formed and no special teams were created. Everyone was fucked together. Joy.

My first experience with P.E. in Konoha was on a rainy day in April. Coach Anko had to split the class (girls and guys) because the boys wouldn't be caught dead playing volleyball. So she rounded the few girls together, split the teams, and made us get on with the game. After a while, the match turned into some sort of death match, where each girl that let the ball touch the ground was thrown out and made to wait on the sidelines. In the end, only Neji's shadow, Tenten, and I were left. I accidentally (not really) bashed the ball into her head, making her fall on the ground and land on her wrist. She disliked me since then, though I hadn't any clue why. However, I did hear that her sprained wrist caused some problems in her martial arts tournament, for which I was very sorry about and showed my sincerity by giving her an onigiri. I was pretty sure she threw it away, though. Which was a good thing. I may or may not have had dipped it in rat poisoning before hand. (Payback for the nasty little "_Temari is a cock sucking bimbo_" written on one of the stalls in the girl's bathroom I _knew_ had been written by her.)

Coach Anko was currently yelling at us while waving a dango stick in the air. Apparently, she had found a piece of chewed gum stuck to the track and she knew it was our class. She went on to say that if she caught anyone eating during gym, or even drinking (and she even went so far to include drinking our own saliva), she'd bash our eyes in. No one seemed to be in any hurry to point out that she herself was eating. I guess the predatory look on her face, especially when she licked the dango stick clean, scared everyone shitless.

"Ey, ey! Let's get started, Anko-sensei!" I easily recognized Naruto's voice among the mass. It was hard to miss.

She glared at him and threw her dango stick at him. It whizzed past his ear and planted itself firmly into the trunk of the tree behind him. "You! Give me twenty laps!"

"That's not fair!"

"Life ain't fair, kid! Now get moving!"

"GAH! This is abuse from the education system! My time could be better spent playing some sports!" Naruto didn't remain in his spot though, because the next second he was speeding down the track, narrowly missing another aimed dango stick.

"Well, since today I'm too lazy to give you a physical endurance battle test," at this, there were elated squeaks from the girls, "I'm just going to have you guys run amok."

"Yes!" Ino let out. Tenten, glowered and kicked a rock by her foot. I thought I heard a "damn" escape from her.

Coach Anko almost snapped her neck when she turned to look at Ino before shrugging. "Actually, I take it back! Let's start a game. How about some soccer?"

Soccer? This sparked my interest. I liked soccer. I was good at soccer. Not as good as with volleyball, but I was close enough.

We got split again. Four teams. Two would play on one half of the field, while the rest played on the other. I was placed on the Nara's team. Ino had somehow convinced Coach Anko that she was dying. Sakura was somehow forced into accompanying the blonde to infirmary. Hinata nearly collapsed at the sight of Naruto stretching so much his shirt rode up to reveal his abs. Tenten seemed to be arguing with her friend Rock Lee, who said she wasn't in any position to play with her wrist. She punched him. He let her play.

Chouji was also on our team and automatically given the role of goalkeeper. He bustled off to his job with potato chips in hand. I was sure Coach Anko noticed. She spent half the period glaring at him to make sure his bags didn't somehow wind up on the floor.

When the team huddled together to form a plan (apparently, Chouji new most of Shikamaru's plans already, and was in no need to hear it), Shikamaru already had something in mind. He carefully told each and every one of us exactly what to do. I wanted to tell him that I wasn't going to do shit, but he looked pretty serious then. When we dispersed, I saw him creep towards the end, eyes targeting a girl in my year that'd I seen pass through the halls.

A girl with pink hair, though much darker than Sakura's. She looked like she wanted to tear someone apart. For a while there, I thought she did.

I sat on the sidelines. My part wasn't to come in yet. I was the necessary "emergency" if anything happened. Shikamaru, as he explained lazily, didn't like to dispense such power early on. That the team would need it as they became tired and too worn down.

I watched from my perch as the game commenced. The girl rushed towards Shikamaru just as the ball was passed to him. He stared at her and groaned (I could see his facial expression do that thing where he looked like he wanted to commit suicide but didn't—his groaning face) before dodging her and continuing on.

It continued on the same way, though she landed plenty of punches at him and kicked his shin. Since there was no referee, they went unnoticed.

Finally, the girl seemed to land a hit home. Our team was one up and the period was near ending. And as Shikamaru was going to land another score, she somehow managed to grab his hand and yank and pull and twist.

There was a sickening crunching sound. I heard it even from my place on the bench.

I rushed onto the field and pulled him away from her. He landed in a plop on the ground, cradling his twisted (and probably broken) finger carefully, wincing slightly. I glared at her before turning to him. "I'll cover."

He nodded slowly. "I think it's just better if we forfeit—"

"I said I'll cover."

He glared before standing on his feet, walking slowly away. "She's a hitter. She's weak with her left leg and tends to always dodge right."

I nodded.

She glared at me before smirking. "You gonna fight me, bitch?"

I rolled my eyes and turned around. "Come on."

I ran. I got the ball. Chouji had run out of potato chip bags and was fuming because, apparently, one of the opposite team members had thrown down the last bag while a chip remained inside. My other teammates were pissed as all hell. I was rather angry, too.

You just don't give such cheap shots like she did. Just, no. And I'd kick her if I had to.

Suddenly, she rushed at me and scratched at my collar.

Oh. Hell. No. She. Fucking. _Didn't_.

I ground my teeth before lifting my fist and knocking it right into her jaw. The impact sent her straight to the ground. The ball was taken over by one of my teammates. I heard the sound of cheering as we scored, though I was pretty sure I heard some people yelling and several bodies hit the floor.

"That," I spat at her, "is for hurting my teammate."

She looked back up at me, clearly beyond angry. "I'll get you for this."

"Bite me."

Her teammates struggled to pick her up and set her on her feet. She gave me a last glare before turning and walking away, glowering curses I knew were targeted for me.

Damn. Did she take sports seriously.

I felt the lazy kid's presence before I saw him park himself beside me. "How was that?" I asked, turning around. I grinned despite myself. I was rather proud. The girl was swelling in a matter of seconds. Not only had she managed to pack an injury on him, I had managed to pack one on _her_.

He looked at bit shocked at first before settling into his look of "I-don't-_really_-care." And then he gave me a small smile. "Could've been more graceful. And your arm shook before making contact."

I growled and turned to stare at him. "What, does it kill you to give a compliment?"

He shrugged.

I supposed that was an improvement.

* * *

In the infirmary, I sat beside Shikamaru as he waited for the nurse to call him in. It had turned out that, in the insanity that followed my punch, various members of the girl's team had gone ahead to hurt some of the others. Chouji had resulted with a messed up stomach.

I felt Shikamaru wince as he fiddled with his broken finger. I elbowed him lightly in the stomach, watching through the corner of my eyes as he tapped his feet nervously.

"He'll be fine," I said, suddenly getting irritated by the way he could so easily allow his emotions to overtake him. "It was just a punch."

He didn't bother to look up at me as he answered, "That's just it. The punch was _my_ fault."

I rolled my eyes. This guy, who was lazy above anything else, actually cared more about the wellbeing of his friends than his own. "No, it was _his_ fault for not being able to dodge it, or at least retaliate."

He didn't say anything for a long time. Just stared at the ground, eyes unblinking, hands fiddling again, even though his index finger was rather useless. I wanted to shake him awake, make him realize it wasn't his fault at all, that it was just a stupid game. But for some reason, I couldn't do it.

"It's just a stupid game," I told him. "Man the fuck up. At least he didn't lose an eye or something."

He glanced up at me for a moment before sighing and standing, moving away from me. "You're so troublesome, you know?"

I knew. And despite how troublesome I was, he didn't leave me there, alone. He waited, even if it was just a little farther away from me.

* * *

It was a Saturday late in April, and I was getting ready to meet the kid to go out for some "tour guide" stuff around the town. We only decided to do it on weekends, 'cause I had enough of him during school hours and he said he didn't want to spend time entertaining me after school as well as in school. I had waked that morning to find a huge zit on my chin, and I was sitting in front of the vanity mirror, dabbing powder on the sucker. No way in hell I'd be caught with that thing. It seemed to absorb light like a black hole. It practically _shined_.

There was a knock on my door before it opened to reveal Baki-san. He was watching me with his dark eyes before a smirk crinkled his mouth.

"Are you wearing make-up?"

I threw a stub of a pencil of eyeliner at him. It missed and rolled pathetically at his feet. But then again, I had aimed with my left hand while it was holding the powder case. Only a few inches off. I'd have to work on that.

"Nara-kun is waiting for you."

I grunted.

"You look very nice today."

"Go _away_."

He nodded and closed the door silently behind me, but I swore I caught his smirk turning into a tiny smile.

I stared into the mirror. I didn't look as different as Baki-san made me seem. My hair was in one ponytail instead of the typical four. My eyebrows had been tweezed back into shape. My face didn't have that two-tone color thing going on that came with the natural tanning back home. I looked as natural as I did before being bombarded with the environmental change that came from switching to Konoha from Suna.

Placing the powder on the table, I peered closer at my face. I'd never noticed I had a tiny scar right underneath my chin, which only appeared if I tried hard enough. I never knew my eyelashes curled naturally or that my eyes were a shade of blue-green I had never encountered on another person before.

Shrugging, I got up and took my necessary equipment before heading out, waving a goodbye to Baki-san. Downstairs, the lazy guy was waiting for me, leaning against the wall, foot up to support him, his arms crossed. He looked as if he had been about to sleep.

"You're here."

I nodded. "Where to?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. I'll just take you around the usual hang out places teenagers seem to like to go to."

"Though it's not like we're _really_ hanging out, right?" I smirked sideways at him, watching a frown pull at his lips.

"Of course. Hanging out is troublesome."

* * *

"Purinto Kurabu," I pronounced, reading the katakana on the banner before the entrance of a small establishment. A Purinto Kurabu, or Print Club, shop.

Right.

I turned to him, questioning him silently. He shrugged and pointed to a trio of middle school aged girls that squealed as they ran in, already rifling through their purses for money. A few seconds afterwards, a young high school couple walked in, the guy groaning and the girl pulling him along, obviously having forced the male into coming with her.

"They're picture booths," he explained lazily as we headed inside. I was carefully watching where I was going in case there was another mad dash of girls running to get inside one of the booths. "Put some money, take a few pictures, and they're printed out."

"Is that so?" I hummed, looking briefly under the curtain that blocked the outside from the picture world in the booth. I found one that was empty.

"Ino loves this stuff. She has notebooks filled with them at home. She's the anal type, though. Has separate notebooks for different things. Like one notebook for the girls, one notebook for the Ino-Shika-Chou—"

"The what?"

He suddenly blushed and his hands in his pockets, avoiding to look at me. "Troublesome."

"Undoubtedly so."

"It's what our parents call us. Ino for Ino, Shika for Shikamaru, and Chou for Chouji. It's silly."

I nodded, pulling the curtain aside. "It is. Get in."

He stared. "What?"

"Get. In."

"No."

I shrugged. "Fine." I stepped inside and peered at the screen. It suddenly lit up and scared the shit out of me, causing me to bang my fist on it in fright.

He hadn't left at all but was standing right outside, looking in. He smiled at the sight of me. He stepped fully into the booth and before I could get another hit on the screen, stopped me by taking hold of my hand and pulling it away. "You're not supposed to bang on it."

I looked up at him, surprise probably clearly written on my face. He met my eyes for a moment before letting go of my hand, as if it had suddenly burned him. "Here," he said, pushing me aside roughly to take control of the screen. "I've seen Ino do this loads of times."

I smirked and watched as he pressed a few things and then leaned back. "There," he said, before moving to leave. I reached a hand and grabbed on to his sleeve while leaning across him and closing the curtains.

He groaned and stood beside me. "Fine."

After a few pictures, I began to notice he had the same exact face. Every single time. "Come on!" I told him, pulling at his face and cheeks with my fingers. "Do something!" A light flashed. A picture had been taken.

He turned to look at me suddenly, incredibly close to my face. "There. I did something."

His eyes were shaped so delicately. Really, he did look like a girl sometimes. "You only turned your head."

A flash.

He grunted before moving away and scowling. A flash. Great, now there was a variety of his scowls. I hadn't realized he'd had _so_ many.

I hoped sarcasm was visible in pictures.

When we finished, he was the first to get out. I collected the glossy printed pictures and stared at them, watching the many "different" poses. The last few shots were the ones with my hands on his face and his face close to mine.

"Want to see?" I asked him when I got out of the booth, handing him the glossy strip. He shook his head.

"No way. Keep it out of sight forever."

"…Does your mother know that you're out with an older woman?" I asked, slinking closer to him, bumping my arm against his.

He gave me a scowl and moved away. "No. And let's keep it that way."

I smirked. "Where to, O Tour Guide?"

"…Didn't you have enough already?"

Silence.

"…Fine. Hungry?"

"A bit."

"Well, that's too bad." He began walking, taking long strides with his long legs. I rushed to catch up to him until I was walking beside him, our arms only a few inches away from each other.

"Eh? Shikamaru?"

I watched as he turned towards the voice before breaking out into a smile. "Well, if it isn't Naruto."

Naruto wasn't a bad kid. He was loud (extremely so), but honest and caring. You could tell by the way he'd protect Sakura or the way he'd jump to defend Sasuke, even though Sasuke was far from needing any of the blond boy's help. And for some reason, I had the strange feeling that he would have made a great friend for Gaara, if Gaara were willing to accept him.

Naruto gave a stupid smile before jumping beside Shikamaru, leaning in to whisper something. Though he sure didn't understand the concept of whispering. "So, you're on a date, too?"

"That's not it," Shikamaru said, looking positively bored.

I rolled my eyes. "Why would I go out with such a…" I couldn't think of anything at that moment, so I went ahead and explained our situation. "He's showing me around."

Sakura glanced between the two of us. "Ah. Well, let's get going, Naruto." She grabbed his arm and pulled him after her.

"Good guy. Sort of stupid, but cool."

He led me around the district before stopping at a ramen place. "Well, go on." He pointed inside. I wrinkled my nose at him while I passed him and entered.

I sat at the counter, balancing my feet on the little tiny bar on my stool. I leaned on the counter with my elbows, peering into the place as an old guy waltzed into view with a tall chef hat and greeted us accordingly, even giving Shikamaru a wave.

"You never bring girls beside Ino here, Shikamaru." The guy gave me a look though he didn't seem to mean it in any insulting way. "She your girlfriend?"

Shikamaru groaned and pointed at the menus. "Just pass 'em."

I took the menu the man handed to me and thanked him. Flipping through the pages, I scanned the ramen dishes quickly before deciding on one.

"Just give me the usual," Shikamaru told him, handing him back the menu. He turned to me. "Decided?"

I nodded and told the man my order, passing him the menu and watching as he stored them away and ordered his cooks to start preparing the food.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I was staring at the fire heating the pot in front of me and he was staring off into the distance, probably watching the clouds roll above us.

"What about me?"

I jumped at the sound of his voice. "Excuse me?"

"You wouldn't date such a what?"

I pursed my lips, thinking about it for a second. "Why do you care?"

He shrugged. "No reason. I'd just like to know what you were about to call me."

"And I would like to know why you want to know."

"You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?" His eyes were half-lidded as he stared at me, head propped in his hand.

"Naturally."

He shrugged and turned back to staring outside. "Fine then. Forget I asked anything."

"But now curiosity's got a hold on me," I whined.

"Tough shit."

"I wouldn't date such a guy like you," I finally answered. And that was the truth. I wouldn't date a guy like him. A guy I couldn't exactly predict or wrap my mind around.

He turned to look at me. "What do you mean by that?"

I sighed and waved a hand in the air. "You're too chauvinistic, too lazy, too boring, too nonchalant, too egotistical, too caught up in doing nothing, too everything that I dislike."

"So you like it that I'm smarter than you?"

I grunted, "And you're too smart." I wasn't about to admit he was possibly smarter than me.

He frowned.

"Basically, you're not my type. At all."

"You have a type?"

I wrinkled my nose at him. "Of course I do. I'm a girl with standards."

"I keep forgetting you're a girl to begin with."

"And _that's_ why I wouldn't date you," I concluded, pointing a finger at him.

He scoffed, "It isn't like I'd want to date you in the first place."

I nodded slowly. "Probably not."

Life liked to play cruel jokes sometimes. Sometimes, you think nothing possibly worse could ever happen, and then it does. You swear to yourself that you'll never do something, but you do exactly that. You tell yourself, _I won't fall for that guy_, but you end up doing so.

Maybe I should've known then. Staring at his face as he slurped some of his noodles, too lazy to bother to mask the noise, that life would play a cruel joke. Maybe knowing myself, knowing the way I work, knowing my incessant need to find sometimes interesting, that it'd work out that way.

I really hated life. Sometimes.

* * *

**Japanese Words!!!**

**Purinto Kurabu**: Print Club. A picture booth that's extremely popular amongst teenage and younger girls in Japan and other parts of Asia. Unlike most picture booths, these have cool things to add to pictures. If you want to get more of the idea, google the word "Print Club" and go to the images, and you'll see many of the printed pictures.

* * *

**AN: Have you guys noticed I like to put in a few of the Naruto-verse happenings into the story? Like Shikamaru having to take Temari around town, Tenten getting hurt by Temari, the Tayuya fight, and the Naruto-Asking-Shika-If-He's-On-A-Date incident? What can I say? I like my characters canon, yo. So you can expect other similar situations arising. They will not be chronological, of course. They happen whenever the hell I want them to happen. **

**Anyway. The original fourth chapter turned out to be utter crap. I think this one is better, but I don't think it serves much of a purpose but to stall. I sat down to write out the timeline of this story, and it's gonna be rather long. From what I've calculated, it'll be up to 20 chapters only by the middle of the school year, which is December/January. And we still have to go up to March after that. sigh**

**I'm going to start "time-skipping" a bit. I don't think I have to chronicle (lol, I'm such a Naruto ho) all of their days. Mostly the important ones where the two spend time together.**

**Jooooy.**

**Next chapter will include some Forward Temari, an invitation, and jealousy. This sounds like the blurb of one of Lemony Snicket's ****A Series of Unfortunate Events****. I'm so great.**

**Read and review. If you haven't already decided to kill me because of my long ass Author's Notes.**

**And thanks for the birthday wishes. You guys rock. Hard body. Almost as Hard as Hard Gay.**

**Youtube that guy, by the way. It might help in one of the future chapters of this story. TRUST ME.**


	5. v

_You're way too beautiful, girl  
__That's why it'll never work  
__You'l__l have me suicidal, suicidal,  
__When you say it's over.  
__--_**Beautiful Girls, Sean Kingston**

* * *

**Chapter V  
Troublesome. Stop bothering me.**

As I walked the halls in school on a Thursday morning, about a month after Chouji's birthday, which had turned into an utter disaster because of Ino's problem with holding down her alcohol, I was pulled by my wrist into a secluded part of the third floor hallway, which no one ever ventured into. I was then greeted by four ponytails crashing into me and a body pinning me successfully against the wall.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" I demanded, trying to move my hands and get the girl-thing away from me, but she had somehow managed to pin them to my sides. She was strong. Abnormally strong. And the fact that she had pressed her body on mine in an effort to keep me rooted to one place, not to mention where I could feel all her curves, was not going unnoticed.

"After school," Temari said forcefully. "You haven't forgotten your job, have you?"

I furrowed my eyebrows in response which only caused her to lean further in, her face inches away from mine. In reflex, I moved my head further back, knocking it on the wall and groaning in pain. "Ow…"

"Take me to wherever the hell you Konoha teenagers go after school. I don't care _where_, just do it. I'll pay you double."

She seemed so frantic. Too frantic. Even though we had agreed that I would show her around on the weekends, here she was demanding to be taken out during a school day. Capricious woman.

I watched as her usual mask of control slipped away to reveal one of desperate need. Her eyes were wide, pleading, and the way her mouth was parted slightly to expel uneven breaths only made her anxiety that much more obvious.

"Okay," I said, finally relenting because of the look she gave me. I nodded a little as best I could. Even that small little movement made me just that much more acutely aware of the way she pressed against me, the way her chest moved in time to her breathing, the way her hands had snaked around my wrists and kept me pinned.

She visibly relaxed and leaned away from me after I answered, but still kept me glued to the wall. She was, I could tell, about to let me go before she caught sight of my face and smirked.

Why the hell was she smirking? Was there something on my face? I wanted to lift my hand to wipe at my face to get rid of whatever was making her _smirk_ like that, but when I tried to move, I felt her tighten her grip.

"Are you _blushing_?"

"What?!" I struggled to get away from her grip but stopped immediately as she leaned in again, too close for comfort. I couldn't help it if my cheeks were burning then. I was sure a female body was _not_ supposed to mold into mine like this. No. No. _No_.

"You _are_ blushing," she said with satisfaction. "What, you've never had a girl so close?" Capricious, fickle woman.

I frowned and tried to keep the blood from rising to my cheeks. "If you must know, _no_." I _knew_ I should've taken up that Seven Minutes in Heaven offer back in my last year of middle school to rack up some experience. I _knew_ having Naruto for a friend would have had some perks, but I had missed out of the experience by falling asleep. I _knew_ the gods hated me.

She pursed her lips for a moment before smirking again. "You're innocent." She said it tauntingly, as if not having gone through the female population was a bad thing. Capricious, fickle, _malicious_ woman.

"Yes, I am. Now, if you'll please get off." I was rather proud at how level my voice sounded. I was pretty good, especially when there was a pair of breasts pressed against me and every time my gaze shifted downwards, I could see down the school shirt which she had left slightly unbuttoned at the top.

"But torturing you is so much fun." She lifted her torso off me, which was a good thing, because that was what I felt more than anything, even more than the leg that had made its way between mine. "I never knew I could make a boy blush so much."

"I'd blush even if it were Sakura, so if you don't mind: get off."

This time it was her turn to frown as she finally let me go. "Fine. But I'll think of this as a tiny little victory and keep it in mind." She waltzed away from me, turning her head only to throw a smirk over her shoulder as she disappeared down the hall, leaving me flustered and irritated.

What the HELL had just happened? I wasn't even supposed to _have_ hormones. They were supposed to be nonexistent. They were supposed to clash horribly with the fact that all things female were troublesome.

Especially that _thing_ that had just pressed me against the wall. Like a _man_.

And why had I even agreed? Now that the woman-thing was off me and far, far from me and my body was acting somewhat normal again, I remembered quite belatedly that I had already agreed to humor Ino and go to Chouji's birthday party, which she had planned in its entirety. But I had been confused, and for a moment I was surprised and worried at the way she was asking for me to take her somewhere, but the next she seemed perfectly fine and _teasing_ me.

Oh. I hated her. I hated her.

When I looked down at my wrist to see the red from her grip, I could feel the rush of heat flare in my cheeks.

I _really_ hated her.

* * *

"Shi-ka-ma-ru-u-u-u!" Before I could actually see the owner of the voice, said owner had already wrapped their arms around my neck and buried my face into their collar—a bit too close to their breasts for comfort. When I was finally released, I staggered back blindly, blinking away the sudden attack to find Ino's form materializing in front of me, Chouji standing behind her protectively, barbeque chip bag in his hand.

"Ino." I nodded my head at her and released a sigh. "Really, what was all that about?"

She shrugged happily, a giggle of some sort escaping her clenched-teethed smile. Before I could utter a word (because I was still recovering from said attack) she had wrapped an arm around my neck again, dragging me down to her height as she took hold of Chouji's neck and pulled us together to form some sort of disrupted circle, as if we were planning a conspiracy against rabbits. Or something.

"Barbeque today, Shika-kun?" Ino's voice was sugary sweet and dripping like poison. I knew the only reason she was bothering to invite me was because her allowance was going to be spent on more _important_ things, like shoes, so she had to use my paycheck as a source to feed Chouji's (and her, to some extent) appetite.

I wanted to say yes. In fact, never before had I ever been so happy to be asked to spend my money on anyone but myself, especially Ino and Chouji. If I didn't mind the awkwardness that would arise from my action, I would have kissed _both_ Chouji and Ino.

"…I can't."

Ino let me go so quickly I had to catch myself before I went face first into the floor. "You what?"

I dusted off my pants, carefully avoiding their eyes. "I can't. I already have something to do."

Ino blinked once. Then twice. Then three times before her mouth formed an O of shock and she used Chouji as a support. "You mean, you're doing something… without _us_?"

I sighed exasperatedly, "I don't mean it like _that_. It isn't by choice."

Ino narrowed her eyes dangerously and leaned in conspiratorially. "Is it Temari-san related?"

"Unfortunately."

She giggled and jumped away from me, swinging on Chouji's arm. "That's great, Shikamaru! You finally got yourself a girlfriend!" Her smile, however, slipped off in a moment. "Though I don't understand how _you_ got someone before me."

Chouji patted her arm awkwardly. "I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there who would want to date you, Ino."

She nodded sagely. "I know. But not the guy _I_ want."

I shook my head. "Look, it isn't like that. I mean, me and the woman-thing—Temari." Ino cocked an eyebrow, looking completely unconvinced, even though I was telling the truth. "I'm not. With her, I mean. Nor do I like her. Honest."

In a moment, she was engulfing me again; face incredibly close to my own. "Look, Shika-kun, I understand boys. Really, I do. If you like her and are dating, you can tell me."

"Ino."

"Yes?"

"Get off." I felt her open her mouth to say something, but I immediately cut her off. "No. I do not _like_ her nor am I dating her."

There was the sound of a throat being cleared behind us. We both turned slowly, eyes widening as the image of a girl with sandy hair appeared before us, a hand on her hip, a bored expression fitting itself smugly on her face, though I could tell her lips were trying to pull down into a frown. She arched an eyebrow at us, before saying slowly, "Shikamaru. We should get going now." She jerked a finger behind her to point at the clock fastened on the wall in the genkan.

Ino let me go immediately, springing upwards and towards Chouji's side in seconds. "Ah well, you two have fun! Let's go, Chouji!" She began to walk away, dragging Chouji alongside her, before turning back to mouth the words _call me_ in my direction. From the corner of my eyes, I could tell Temari caught that by the way she narrowed her eyes in confusion before rolling them upwards, towards the ceiling.

"Well, let's go," I said quickly, throwing my bag over my shoulder. I had already changed into my normal shoes, having stuffed the school shoes into my locker and closing it with a loud bang. I looked down to see her feet clad in black shoes as she walked towards me, her pace brisk.

We were already outside when she chose to speak. I had been rather happy in my silence, seeing as I usually never had such moments of silence in my life, especially since Ino and Naruto _and_ Kiba happened to be close friends.

"Shikamaru."

I spared her a glance as I cocked my head towards the left, the side she was walking beside me. She was staring in front of her intently, not bothering to look my way even though she was speaking to me. "What is it?"

"Even though you _say_ you're not together, wasn't that pushing it?"

"…Huh?"

She finally turned to look at me and said, "You and Ino. Obviously, the two of you are—"

I held up a hand to keep her from continuing to say the insanity that was her thinking. "And why on _earth_ would you think that? In fact, why the _hell_ would you _care_?"

She grimaced slightly and turned her head quickly, hair whipping, eyes reflecting something I didn't quite recognize. "I don't."

"Then why do you want to know?"

She stuck out her bottom lip ridiculously; hands turning to fists as she swung her bag from side to side, narrowly avoiding banging into my knee. "Curiosity's sake."

"Well, you should know that I would _not_ be involved with her. Don't you speak to her? Don't you see how _absolutely_ troublesome she is?"

She stopped walking abruptly. I stumbled a bit and turned to watch as she glared at me. "And you don't deal with troublesome things?"

I nodded.

She blinked a few times before taking a deep breath, as if she were trying to settle something deep inside her. "Okay." Suddenly, she was cool, calm and collected Temari. The usual girl with the usual smirk and the usual badass attitude.

I didn't understand her. In fact, I doubted I would ever be able to. Sometimes I could. I knew that when she got angered (which happened often, in my case), she'd bristle up and turn sour and bitter and worse than her usual self. When she was happy, her smirk would turn rather animalistic, almost like her real smile, which I had seen on her face during the soccer game. When we were in class, she was no-nonsense and serious, unless the teacher's back was turned; in that case, she'd turn to face me and give me a number of her deranged faces, as if trying to get me in trouble. As if we were still in grade school.

But I didn't necessarily know her all that well. I took wild guesses, and had some of them turn out to be correct. But in this case, I was completely lost. I usually knew things about people and could observe them and figure them out, but she was completely different. She resembled Ino in so many ways, but then she'd turn around and become quiet enough to resemble Sasuke when he was in deep contemplation.

"Shikamaru?"

I jerked my head at the sound of her voice. "What?"

She stared at me for a moment, teal eyes piercing before she blinked and shook her head. "Nothing. Let's go."

And there it was again. The unexpectedness.

* * *

"What _is_ this?"

I winced slightly at Temari's tone of voice. From my spot beside her, I could already feel her tense up as she surveyed the sight before her. Glancing slightly, I saw the neon lights flaring in front of us reflected on her skin, and by the way she squinted her eyes, she didn't really like it.

"…It's an arcade."

"Is that so?" I nodded just as she pointed up at the rotating sign. "Then why does it say _Roller Skating_ there, huh?"

I made a little grimace, pulling my lips to the side and furrowing my eyebrows. "…Technicalities."

"…And _Food Place_ also? What kind of tacky shit is this?"

"This 'tacky shit,' as you call it, is where a lot of teenagers hang out." I didn't add that they mostly did this on weekends. No need to push the situtation. Right?

"You have got to be kidding me. Roller skating? It sounds like something a parent would take their toddler out to do."

I breathed in through my nose, irritated. Why was she making this so difficult? It wasn't like I wanted to do this either. I was simply doing it for _her_ sake. Couldn't she be any more grateful?

"Isn't there anything else?" Her voice was really beginning to grate my nerves. What was the law in Konoha? Minors were charged as juvenile criminals when they were under… how old was it? Seventeen? Didn't matter, I still had a long way to go.

"No, you picky woman. Nothing else. So you either suck it up and march your ass in there and enjoy the goddamn arcade or you will shut the hell up and leave."

She whipped her head at me, glaring evilly under thick blonde eyelashes. She crossed her arms before her chest in the way Ino would do when her father would deny her something, and glared. And kept on glaring. And even when I was clearly ignoring her, I could feel her intense gaze.

"Well?"

She harrumphed loudly before clamping a hand on my shoulder, gathering the fabric there, and pulled me after her. "Fine. But you better act like you're enjoying it as well."

Needless to say, I didn't enjoy it.

We played at the arcades for what seemed like _hours_. She sucked horribly at Dance Dance Revolution (she claimed the machine couldn't register her stomps, which she then used as an excuse to beat the shit out of it). She was good at the shooting games (she won all fourteen games we played, though I said I went easy on her). When it came to the TAIKO: Drum Master game, she was doing well at first, before a little girl smirked at her and she messed up, setting her temper aflame and having her beat the drum senselessly. She did, however, assure me that that was a good thing, because she probably would have chased after the little girl herself if the drum sticks were portable.

Once she was tired enough, she led me to one of the tables at the food area, and when she was seated, ordered me to get her a hot dog.

"With lots of ketchup!" she called.

She had her fill of food (that was paid with my money) when she spotted the cute (according to a girl sitting in the table in front of us) couple sporting roller skates. She stared at them for a long while before turning expectantly at me.

"Well? Hurry up. Get us some skates."

I sputtered into the coke I was drinking, almost having some of the sugary drink go up my nose. I wiped at it with my sleeve while eyeing her over my arm. "What?"

"I want to roller skate."

"You have got to be out of your mind. Can the sun dry your brain?"

She hissed at me. "What do you mean I have to be out my mind? You brought me here in the first place. If anything, this is all your fault." How the hell was she throwing this back on me?!

"My fault? For entertaining you after you harassed me?"

She smirked. "It isn't like you didn't _enjoy_ it."

"You're right. I _despised_ it."

Her smirk faded as quickly as it had appeared as she regarded me with half-closed eyelids, which I supposed represented just how annoyed she was at me. Daring me to continue with my arrogance with those eyes. I'd show her.

"Go."

I crossed my arms before my chest. "No. It's considered _lame_."

"Shrimp—"

I chuckled sarcastically. "I'm pretty sure I'm taller than you."

"By half an inch. Either way, I'm older than you."

I nodded in agreement. "By like, a century."

In the speed of light, she reached over to me, arm tangling into the collar of my shirt as she pulled me towards her, over the table separating us. When I was inches away from her face, she leaned closer, our breaths mingling between us. "You won't get it?"

"…No."

I _heard_ her smirk more than saw it. Before I knew what was happening, I felt her breath in my ear and her lips move, forming words and sounds my brain couldn't comprehend.

"…W-what?"

She giggled. _Giggled_. Dear Kami above, the thing _giggled_.

"You really won't get it for me, _Shika-kun_?"

I silently cursed. Then I cursed again. A tirade went off in the privacy of my brain as I registered the feeling of her lips getting closer to my earlobe, and then a tiny yank at my earring with her teeth.

My heart was pounding in my ears. Instead of my blood rushing around, eager to get to my lower south regions, it stopped frozen in my veins. I felt like everything around me had stopped the moment she had gotten so near. And the feeling of her, the warmth she radiated, made me want to barf. _In a good way_.

"Alright! Alright. Get off. _Please_."

No later than two seconds, I was already stumbling to get off the floor from where the blonde she-devil of Suna had thrown me.

She stared down at me from her standing position, hips cocked, hands on waist, head tilted to the side as her teal eyes blinked and a smug smile made its way across her lips. After a moment, she shrugged and turned away, not giving me another thought.

As I watched her head over to the guy behind the counter getting tickets for people to use the rink, I cursed. I cursed a million times. Why?

Because this was not supposed to happen.

The rush I had when she was "having her way" with me had made me realize something. Something utterly ridiculous.

Ino's little curse was coming true.

* * *

**Japanese Words!!!**

**Genkan: **A small room in the entrance of a house where shoes are removed and replaced by slippers. In schools, the genkan is a large room with lockers where the students change from their regular shoes (whatever they want to wear) to their school shoes (usually a white sneaker/tennis shoe with a band of color to differentiate between either genders, grades, or both).

**TAIKO:** Drum Master: A game, much like Dance Dance Revolution, except you play with drums. Sorta like the Donkey Kong game they have here, except the Drum master has the drumsticks and the like.

* * *

**AN: So, how are the lovelies doing today? Honestly, this chapter went through so much editing (the girlfriend would have probably become the first person to murder someone through the internet, as she was most displeased by the way I kept repeating a few things waaay in the beginning) that I nearly gave up and said "TO HELL WITH THIS SHIT!"**

**Of course, I was brought back to my senses by watching various Korean movies and having the hunk Daniel Henney displayed on my screen.**

**He's so fine.**

**Anyway, I'm not too sure what Japanese kids do in their spare time, but since I did a lot of research and found nothing, the girlfriend was all "Yo, yo, yooo. Does it matter? Isn't it a mixture of Japan **_**and**_** the US?"**

**And I was like, zomg. She was right.**

**So tada! I hope you enjoyed. Please review if you did. **

**Or didn't. Whatever. **


	6. vi

_I know what I've been told  
__You gotta know just when to fold  
__But I can't do this all on my own.  
__­_--**I'm No Superman, Lazlo Bane**

* * *

Chapter VI  
**The lazy thing is rubbing off on me, I swear.**

"You're still going to walk me home?"

Shikamaru didn't bother to respond with complete words. Just made a tiny, irritated noise at the back of his throat and ran fingers through messy black hair before stuffing his hands into his pocket, speeding up his pace and trying to get further away from me. I followed behind him quietly, too tired from roller skating to do much of anything besides stare. And much to my surprise, I found myself thinking, _Whoa. He has a nice butt_, before shaking away the thoughts.

"You don't need to," I told him as I finally reached his side and he slowed down, keeping in time to my own strides.

"And you're still talking? Troublesome."

I elbowed him in the gut. He made a sputtering sound and gave me a dirty look. I felt satisfied.

Good for the little fucker.

"Thanks for tonight," I said. I didn't really think my voice sounded sincere, even though I did mean it. I just didn't want to seem like I was going soft. After all, that was not my style.

He cocked his head towards me, watching me through the corner of his eyes before he rolled them upwards. "You're welcome. May I have a bit of my sanity back?"

I didn't bother responding.

As we neared my apartment building, he cleared his throat to speak. I prepared myself for one of his rants about how troublesome this whole thing was before he sped up and stopped in front of me, making me trip over myself to keep from crashing into him.

"Why?"

"Why what?" the question surprised me. I mean, he could have been asking a number of things. _Why is the sky blue? Where do babies come from? Why torture me with roller skating? Why are you such a beautiful, intelligent, wondrous woman?_ Any of those were completely plausible. Couldn't he be clear?

"Why make me take you out, on a school night after all?" He swung his school bag for emphasis. "Why were you so frantic?"

I stiffened. This was not a topic I was any interested in talking about. In fact, the further we strayed from the topic, the happier I would be.

"No reason."

"…No reason? That's it?" He made a strangling motion with his hands before releasing a steady breath, calming himself in the process. "You mean, you took away from my study time—"

"You don't study."

"That's not the point. What if I did? Besides, how would _you_ know?"

"You don't study," I said with more certainty. He was far too lazy for that sort of thing.

He wrinkled his nose at me. "You took away from my pretend-study time."

"…For the love of Kami, can we drop this?"

"You bit my ear."

"You stole my can of coke."

"You stole it _first_."

I crossed my arms before my chest. "I was thirsty."

He released an exasperated sigh. The blood was rushing to his cheeks and he was looking incredibly flustered, even in the night sky and under dim street lamps. "Fine. We drop this."

I nodded. "Good."

"…But why'd you have to eat my hot dog, too?"

"I can't survive off one measly hot dog."

"And I can't survive without _any_."

"Don't you eat at school?"

"_Don't you_?"

"You're such a whiner."

"You're such a bitch."

"Are you trying to get the last word?"

"No, but I'm sure you are."

We had reached the entrance of my building by the time he finished saying that. I allowed myself to stop in front of the doors to stomp my foot and show him just how annoyed he was making me. "Damn straight I am. And if you say one more thing, I'll bite your nose."

He didn't utter a word. Instead, he turned on his heels and began his trek back home.

Oh hell no.

"Oi! OI! You can't just leave me like this. What if someone attacked me while I was heading inside?"

He paused. Then turned back. "Just open that big mouth of yours and annoy them as much as you annoy me. They'll think twice of doing anything to you." Then he turned back.

"Ugh! You little asshole! I hope you get run over by a cement truck."

He turned back. He was really giving into his need to retort, huh? "And I hope you get buried beneath one."

"…Take me up to my apartment. As much as you dislike me, and as much as you think otherwise, I _am_ a girl."

He stalked his way back to me, hands stuffed into his pockets, head bowed. "Then why don't you ever act like one?" he mumbled darkly, passing me by and kicking the door open with his foot. I saw him wince a little at the impact and giggled silently to myself.

He deserved it.

Once inside, he walked quickly towards the elevator. I took my time, just to spite him. That ended up with him coming back to my side and pulling my arm, trying to get me to walk faster, all the while mumbling "_Troublesome_" under his breath.

I was bent down, trying to keep myself rooted to one spot as he pulled and tugged at my arm, circling it with one of his own as he grabbed the straps of my bag and pulled some more. I grunted, bending my knees more, getting closer and closer to the floor, him following me as he made a pathetic attempt to make me budge.

Suddenly, the elevator doors slid open, the ding sounding through the air. We both looked up at the same time, bumping our heads together.

"Temari."

At the sound of the voice, my eyes bulged and I found myself staring at an imposing figure standing right before me, eyes cold and emotionless. I felt fear rise in my throat and settle on my tongue, heavy and bitter.

"F-Father."

The man, who my brothers and I secretly referred to as our sperm donor, only further narrowed his eyes. I could tell he didn't like the position I was in, almost kneeling on the ground, right beside a boy that was apparently younger. I saw his eyes flit from him to me, back and forth, before finally settling on my face and telling me silently that he was very much not in the mood.

"You've been gone all day."

I bowed my head quickly, careful not to meet the man's eyes. "Sorry. Sorry. I was out. I wasn't aware you would be arriving today."

Which was a total, utter lie.

Baki-san had told me first thing that morning. That the President had arrived that morning on Konoha territory and that even though it was very unlikely that he would visit me (after all, I was only his daughter), I should be prepared.

"And you are?"

I looked up to watch as the man, with his dark red hair and brown eyes, glared at Shikamaru, who was staring just as boldly back. I tried to kick him and let him silently know that the man demanded respect, but I lost my footing and nearly collapsed on the floor, earning a disapproving glance from my father.

"Nara Shikamaru."

"You're dating younger men now, Temari?"

I shook my head vigorously. "He's only a school friend, Father."

The man didn't say anything else. In fact, he didn't even make a noise as he slipped past us, attendants rushing to his side to tell him all about his appointments for the next day.

He didn't even turn around to say goodbye.

When the sound of the doors sliding shut filled the air, I allowed myself to stand completely straight. I felt weak and tired, as if the entire day were pressing on me and drowning me. All that day's activities were finally taking their toll on me, and I stumbled a little as I took a step towards the elevator, eager to get back into my apartment and sleep forever.

"Are you alright?"

I jumped a little at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. I turned to look at him look at me, his eyes narrowed, a tiny hint of worry clearly exposed in his dark eyes. What was that doing there?

I nodded. "I'm fine. You can go now."

He regarded me with disinterest. "I thought you said I had to take you to your apartment," he said, crossing his arms.

I waved his words away with a weak hand. "Go, go away. I'll be fine."

I didn't need to tell him again. He left without another word, only saying goodbye to Ryoji and the man responding.

"Miss Sabaku, are you quite sure you're alright?"

I nodded. "Yes, yes. I'll get going now. Good night, Ryoji."

"Good night, Miss Sabaku."

When I reached my front door, it opened even before I had a chance to take out the keys. Baki-san stood there, looking stone pale and just as stiff.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked angrily, wrenching the door open with unnecessary force, shaking the frame a bit as he cleared a way for me. I patted his arm as I passed him, removing my shoes and donning my slippers to step fully into the apartment.

"I saw Daddy-dearest downstairs."

"Of course you did. The man has been waiting hours."

That surprised me. My father usually left within three minutes if those he were waiting for didn't show up.

"How long, exactly?"

"Three hours and twenty three minutes, Temari. _Three hours_."

I nodded. "Alright, alright. I get it. He was trying to be a father. A little to late, don't you think? I'm turning eighteen in what, two months, and he's finally trying to communicate?"

"He is leaving for the States."

That was an entirely different voice providing the answer. A voice I hadn't heard in person for months.

My youngest brother, with his frighteningly red hair, slipped into view, having come from the direction of where the bedrooms were in the apartment. He was clad in his usual "home" clothes, his usual raccoon slippers on his feet.

"Gaara! You're here!" I rushed to him and barely caught myself when I stopped in front of him, arms already outstretched to catch him in a hug. He raised a nonexistent eyebrow in question, and I coughed a little to hide my embarrassment.

We didn't hug. Ever.

"I'm here too, you know. Geez, the least you could do is pretend to ask for me."

I turned around to find Kankurou coming out from the kitchen, something that once might have resembled some food or other getting horribly destroyed by his mouth in his hand. I smiled and greeted him with a wave of my hand, careful not to show him any more affection than the younger boy beside me, who still looked completely annoyed at the whole matter.

Then, it hit me. Gaara's words, that is.

"He's leaving for the States?"

Gaara nodded slowly. He never did things to quickly. Always spoke calmly, always did things in their right amount of time. Never rushed or anything. "For a year."

"…A year?"

"That is correct. He will not be returning to Suna or Konoha until you are already graduated from high school." Another way of saying that the man wouldn't even be there to see me graduate high school.

Kankurou munched loudly in my ear. I hadn't realized he'd already made his way towards us. He usually did everything so loudly it was hard _not_ to hear him. "He's trying to promote business over there. He's already got this part of the world under his belt. Now it's to get the other hemisphere."

I didn't know why my heart suddenly felt so heavy. Granted, the man never bothered to inform me of anything, and always ignored me when it came to telling me where he would be for the next few weeks or months. But this was just pushing it. Two months before my birthday? And he couldn't even bother to say goodbye? Or… or anything?

I wasn't even expecting much. A simple acknowledgement would've sufficed. He never said much on my birthdays years before, but when I turned sixteen, he did send me a flower and a card (it was typed, of course, and the signature was a stamp he used for business letters, and the flower was sent by his secretary, who had reminded him it was my birthday in the first place), but at least it was something. Now I was finally turning legal, finally going to be out of his hair, and he couldn't spare me a few words?

I really, really, really despised him.

Kankurou must have noticed I wasn't entirely thrilled at the idea, because he put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I wasn't too sure if it was the same hand that had been holding his snack, or the clean one, but by then, I was too lost in thought to care much.

"He will still continue to pay for the apartment, and he will be providing everything you need," Gaara informed me in his clear, detached voice. And hearing him speak like that only further drove my anger, making my blood begin to boil and my head begin to pound.

"Well, that's nice of him," I spat sarcastically. Brushing Kankurou's hand off my shoulder, I turned towards my bedroom, already eager to slip into bed and leave reality for a few hours.

"Eww, you're not going to shower?" Kankurou called after me. I made an obscene gesture with my hand as I closed my door behind me, cutting off Gaara's reprimand and Kankurou's whine.

I didn't bother to turn on the lights. I allowed the darkness of my room to consume me. If I were anything like Ino's dramatic self, I would have howled and complained about the darkness being relevant to the darkness consuming my soul. But instead I just shrugged off my bag, slipped out of my clothes, and lay on my bed in my underwear, too tired to don my pajamas.

As I reached over to the nightstand and felt around for my alarm clock, I brushed past something like textured paper. Surprised, I felt around for it again, carefully going over the entire surface of my nightstand with my fingers until I reached it. Sitting up and turning on the lamp, I turned over my discovery.

A letter. Addressed to me.

Opening it, I found a card with a simple picture. A picture of a young woman sitting in front of a vanity mirror, applying lipstick, mouth open as she made herself more beautiful. On the corner, tucked between the frame of the mirror and the mirror itself, was a picture of a younger girl with an older man, who held some resemblance to her. The woman with her father.

I opened the card slowly. Inside was a tiny message, clearly written in black ink, all characters spaced evenly and written by a round, large hand.

_Happy 18__th__ Birthday. I apologize in advance for my absence._

It wasn't signed. There was probably no need to. Even though the man had never addressed anything handwritten to me, I had once sneaked into his office and found notebooks and papers all written by him, and had scoured them enough to recognize his handwriting anywhere.

I never hated my father so much as I did then. For years, he had ignored me. Had ignored Kankurou. Had hated Gaara. He was not a father. More like a man who pretended to hold the title of "Father" so he could hold higher esteem with others. And then he had to pull something like this out of thin air.

Had to make my hate waver, make me realize that all I had ever wanted, all any of his children had ever wanted, was for an apology. No matter how late it was.

* * *

"Te-ma-ri-san!"

I looked up from what I was writing just in time to watch Ino jump and prepare herself to slide onto my desk. I was barely given a moment to remove my homework before her butt claimed the surface and she crossed her legs, blonde hair swinging.

"There are chairs, you know," I told her, pointing my pen at the empty desks beside me. She answered with a smile, blue eyes twinkling, almost evilly.

"I like sitting on desks," she told me after having taken my pen and twirling it between her fingers. I had bought it a few days before, when I was out with her at one of the Korean stationary shops she adored. She pulled at the hanging charm at the end of my pen before handing it back. "It shows off my legs." She slid a pale hand across her smooth legs and smirked when one of the boys, who had in the classroom for cleaning duty, gulped loudly at the sight and ran out of the classroom, abandoning all cleaning supplies in his wake.

"Always the charmer," I mumbled, shuffling my papers around, looking for a tiny bit of exposed desk before sighing in defeat and turning fully around to use the desk behind me. Ino didn't have a huge butt, but she somehow found a way to completely take over my desk.

"So, seeing as we won't be able to hang out a lot together since its summer vacation starting tomorrow—"

"Woe," I muttered, hoping the girl wasn't immune to sarcasm. But then again, she was best friends with the laziest idiot in the world, so maybe that was too much to hope for.

"How are we celebrating your birthday?"

I turned to face her, staring at her through my eyelashes. "_We_?"

"Well, yeah. How are we celebrating? Tenten wants to go the ESPN Zone, even though it's _your_ birthday. I think she mentioned something about rock climbing… and cutting the rope…"

I frowned. So Tenten, despite our being on friendly terms, still felt a little sore about the whole volleyball thing.

"Though I think we should have a major party. You know? You only turn eighteen once."

"…You only turn _any_ age once."

Ino hissed. "And Hinata thinks we should just have a nice little get together, make some cakes and sweets."

"That sounds nice."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Nice doesn't cut it. But don't worry; I'll plan your birthday." Shikamaru will help, too," she added, a strange smile pulling at her pink lips.

I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"

"Don't you think its fate?"

"Probably not, but what?"

Ino's eyes were glued on me as she began to lean forward, pinning me successfully against the desk I was using as substitute for the one she was sitting on. "Fate! You and Shikamaru!"

"What _about_ us?" I didn't like it that I could actually smell what she'd had for lunch. And for a girl that was constantly on some diet or other, her breath smelled suspiciously of fried chicken she had probably sneaked in during lunch.

"Don't you think it's a little too suspicious? You, a foreign exchange student with top grades and in her final year of high school, is placed in the first year's homeroom. Shikamaru, an overly-intelligent lazy guy is suddenly forced to be your tour guide around the school, but ends up not doing his job. Somehow, the same lazy guy who tried everything to get away from having to show you around is forced to accept a part time job to show a foreigner around the city. This foreigner turns out to be you, the only girl capable of getting a rise out of said lazy boy, and the only girl, besides me of course, that he actually speaks to and doesn't try to commit suicide during conversations with her." Ino clicked her tongue as she waved her index finger at me. "Don't you _see_? It's _fate_."

"Or coincidence."

"Serendipity!" Ino exclaimed. "You guys are _meant to be_."

"I thought one of the requirements for that was you have to actually _like_ each other." Ino opened her mouth to say something but I quickly interrupted her before she spewed anymore nonsense. "And I assure you, I do not like that _boy_ at all."

Ino stared at me for a moment before she smiled a small, suspicious smile. "Temari-san, I know we're not best friends, but trust me. I know everything about love. And you, my friend, are _head over heels_. Or will be." She giggled obscenely before jumping off my desk and running off.

I stared at her retreating back, dumbfounded.

I didn't really get her. I mean, she was smart. Not incredibly intelligent. Not nearly in the same comparable level as Shikamaru. But she knew her stuff.

Which was I felt just a bit uncomfortable at her prediction.

Was it just me, or did her prediction fit very neatly with Kankurou's?

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.

I didn't think about silly things like this.

At that moment, I felt someone tap my back.

"Sabaku-sempai?"

"Shikamaru!" What? Couldn't I sound surprised that he had somehow sneaked up behind me and I couldn't actually sense him?

He cocked his head and stuffed a finger in his ear. "Loud. Too loud."

Staring at him, with his head cocked, and the skin of his neck clearly visible, pulled tight across muscle, made me feel strange. For some unexplainable reason, my heart felt a little tighter. Like someone was holding it tightly and squeezing. And then, as he continued to mumble about women and bothersome things, my heart did some stupid shit and skipped a beat. Or maybe it was informing me that I had heartburn. I never had heartburn before. Maybe the tightness and skipping was a symptom. Besides, I knew I was sick, because as he turned to face out the window, away from me, I could see his profile and the way his angular features somehow seemed to work on his face, making me feel just a tad bit lightheaded and woozy. Like I didn't have enough oxygen swooshing around in my brain. Not to mention the insensible churning of my stomach, like there were things flying around inside, beating fairy wings against my stomach.

Oh, for fuck's sake. I hated Kankurou. And Ino. _A lot_.

* * *

**AN: Yay! A horrible chapter! What can I say? I'm bad at making time pass. :[**

**Anyway. Not many ShikaTema moments here, but that's obvious. I felt that Temari's character needs some (more?) growth. And I've been incredibly emotional and stuff about my dad, so I'm being shameless and inserting some of it into the story. Woe.**

**Besides, not much is known about the Father-Kazekage. So I think I'm pretty much allowed to rape his character blindly and mold him into what I want him to be. Though he's still pretty much a bastard. Just a **_**repenting**_** bastard. Huzzah! ( -gets shot- )**

**If I get enough reviews, I'll upload the next chapter in a few days. This chapter (and the next) has been done for… maybe a month. But I changed so much of it that it's pretty unrecognizable from what it first looked like.**

**And yeah, most of the chapters have been changed **_**completely**_** from what I had originally planned. The entire document is over 126 pages long. And right now, the story itself is only at about… page 56. So that's like… over half of it being completely made up of deleted scenes or extra scenes or things I thought could be used later and etcetera. So… er… bear with me, yes?**

**Next is Temari's birthday. And after that, it's Return-To-School time! Woo!**

**AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEMARI DEAREST**


	7. vii

_I'll be just fine  
__Pretending I'm not.  
__I'm far from lonely  
__And it's all that I've got.  
_--**All That I've got, The Used**

* * *

Chapter VII  
**Ugh. Birthday parties. Troublesome.**

I liked staying home. Home was peaceful. Well, when my mother was away. And for the first time in a long time, I felt luck was on my side. The hag was gone, my father was "working" and my friends were over, Ino providing entertainment (she was telling a story about her recent escapades at the mall, where she saw the hottest guy, "_evar_") and Chouji cooking (the man was brilliant, gods bless him).

"Oh, that reminds me!"

Through my half lidded eyes, I saw Ino jump down from the kitchen counter, terribly-short skirt riding up along her thighs. She went towards her bag, which she threw on the dinner table, and bent over to rummage through it. I felt something slap me in the back of my head and turned to find Chouji glaring and whispering, "_Don't look_," while holding a very threatening looking spatula.

Troublesome.

"There we go!"

Ino was suddenly beside me, shoving a piece of paper under my nose. "Here. It's an invitation."

"To what?" I asked, just as she chose to ignore me and hand Chouji his own invitation, which he took carefully and gave a smile in return.

"Be sure to get there on time," Ino informed me, with the tone of voice I often associated with the hag.

"For _what_?" I disliked when she avoided my questions. She did it a lot.

She rolled her eyes and pointed a perfectly manicured finger at the paper. "Read it, idiot."

I did. Not because she told me to, but because I had unfortunately caught sight of the characters spelling out a certain troublesome woman's name.

_Temari's Super Duper Great 18__th__ Birthday Party!  
__Planned by me, Yamanaka Ino!  
__When: Saturday, August 23__rd__, at 7:30PM.  
__Where: Temari's house! (Address and the sort at the end)  
__Why: Because everyone LOVES Temari! (And me, so you better show up if you know what's good for you).  
__There will be lots of cake and food for you to enjoy! So be sure to show up, okay?!_

"…The hell is this?" I waved the paper around, just to catch Ino's attention, which was divided between smiling triumphantly at her hard work and watching Chouji's reaction as he probably read the word "cake."

Ino turned sharply. "An invitation to your girlfriend's party, of course."

I sighed. "She isn't my girlfriend. And stop _saying_ that," I added in a slight whisper, looking around my home. "You never know when the hag is around… and I'm pretty sure these walls tell her _everything_."

"Stop being paranoid, Shikamaru," Ino berated, turning her attention back to Chouji, who was already assuring her that he would be there and would love to help her with the cakes. Just like she probably planned, too.

"Why do I have to go? And don't say because she's my girlfriend. Not even Chouji would be able to save you if you do," I said, before she could manage to stick one of her little twisted words into my mouth.

"Because you're my friend, and she's my friend, and if I'm planning it, I'd be damned if you didn't show up. Besides, aren't you two friends?"

"Not even close."

"Well, this would be a perfect chance for you to become better friends. Now. What're you gonna get her?"

I sighed. I didn't like the way this was turning out. Even though I disliked doing most things, I ended up going along just to escape from the whole arguing business. I didn't like raising my voice, or hear others raise their voice around or at me. I didn't like having to deal with people's anger, especially when directed towards me. The entire ordeal was something I tried to avoid as much as possible. And, because Ino knew my greatest weakness, denying her would be hard. And if she continued to pester me like this, I'd probably end up signing myself up not only into going, getting the woman-thing a gift, and _enjoying_ myself, but into helping set up the place and all that.

"Nothing."

Ino glared.

I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.

Ino's glare intensified. She'd start shooting laser beams in a few minutes, I was sure.

I pretended to snore.

Ino's long, filed fingernails pinched my ear and hauled me up to a straight-backed sitting position.

I could no longer pretend to sleep.

"Shit, Ino!" I did not _yell_. I only _slightly_ raised my voice. I never _yelled_.

"Shikamaru, you know I love ya to death, but I will probably be the one who ends up murdering you after you annoy me so much. So…"

"Fine. _Fine_. What should I get her? A flower? A ring?"

Ino's brows furrowed together and she pulled a little frown. "Eww. Come on. I was just going to suggest a card."

Oh. _Oh_.

She was being Reasonable Ino today. And I _hated_ Reasonable Ino, because she was so goddamn Reasonable and ended up making me seem like an utter, stupid idiot.

Which was an oxymoron, because… well, whatever. And I could never be a stupid idiot. Wait. Oh gods, Reasonable Ino was getting into my mind and turning it into trodden slush.

I didn't like it when my mind turned to slush. It was never a good thing. My mind and slush didn't get along.

Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I had been taking it around with me lately, because who knew when Temari-the-sand-witch-woman-thing decided to call and _suggest_ (more like demand) for me to take her out to who-knew-where. Digging for it, I felt my heart begin to beat quicker, because who knew how I'd act with my mind turned to slush and the sand-thing-woman-person speaking to me.

Looking down at the caller ID, I silently cursed.

Shit. It was her.

I would have ignored the call, if Ino hadn't been staring at me so intently, with a tweezed eyebrow arched and questioning. Admitting defeat, I flipped my phone open and prepared to die.

"_Is Ino with you?_" Why, hello to you too, Temari. I'm great, I'm sure you're doing fine as well. Thank you for asking.

Bitch.

"Yeah. Hold on." I shook the phone in Ino's direction, ignoring her look of "What-the-fuck-are-you-shaking-that-thing-at-me-for?" Pressing it into her hands, I whispered, "It's the woman-creature."

This time, her other eyebrow joined her first one and arched. Her look of confusion.

I sighed. "Temari."

She nodded slowly, taking the phone and answering in her happy, gleeful voice. "Temari-san!"

"_The hell is a Super Duper whatever-the-fuck birthday party?_"

Ino giggled and smiled, pleased. "Oh, I'm so glad you got the invitation. Isn't it great?"

"_It's retarded, that's what it is. I do not want a Super Duper Happy—for the love of all that's good, I can't even _finish_ it. Change it. Now._"

Ino's smile slipped off in a hot moment. "No. I think it's cute."

And then an argument ensued for the better part of fifteen minutes. Of course, I didn't bother to remind Ino that it was _my_ phone or anything, and instead, chose to make light of the situation by finding a comfortable position on my couch and falling asleep.

* * *

Against Ino's wishes, I arrived late to Temari's birthday. I had woken up at three in the afternoon, only because the hag had come in and decided to finally clean my room. I had accidentally fallen asleep in the shower for a good half hour before my mother cut off the hot water, making my shower turn from warm to freezing cold in a minute, which woke me up sufficiently. By the time I was finished getting ready (I liked taking my time), it was already six in the afternoon, and I had yet to buy the girl her card. And when I finally got around to leaving my house to buy said gift, it was six thirty, and the nearest store was a bit away.

But I got there at eight, right in the full swing of things. There was a bunch of people (more third years than anything) bobbing up and down to blasting music coming from a state-of-the-art sound system that had probably been given to Temari as a "oh-well-here-you-go" sort of gift.

"_Now_ you get here," Ino said when she greeted me. I was beginning to think that women were incapable of greeting me with a hello.

"Hey," Chouji said, greeting me with the back of his spoon waving in the air. Kind guy, kind guy.

"So, I guess the party was a success."

Ino nodded triumphantly, grinning despite herself. "That's right. It's fabulous. Even Temari-san can't really complain. Though she has been giving everyone glares every time they stray near her and the chocolate cake." She carefully pointed to one corner of the room, where Temari did, indeed, sit with a plate of cake in her hand, guarding the rest of it beside her as she ate. No one was even near her.

"I guess I'll go over and say hello," I said, beginning the walk. As I was leaving, a guy with purple tattoos on his face came by and leaned towards Ino, nodding his head and going, "Why, hello there," in a gaudy tone.

Much to Chouji's dismay.

Temari barely looked up when I neared her. "Oi," I said, waving lazily.

"Took you long enough."

"Happy birthday."

She grunted in response. Lovely.

"So, you're eighteen."

Another grunt. She was particularly eloquent on birthdays, huh?

"That's nice. Are you enjoying your party so far?"

Thankfully, I didn't get another grunt. But I did get the sound of someone munching on moist cake angrily. Which was weird. I didn't think moist cake could be munched on loudly.

"Why, thanks for the exhilarating conversation. Now that I've done my part, I can join you in being taciturn." I bowed my head and turned, feeling rather annoyed. I work up the effort to try to keep up a conversation, and get shot down with grunts and munches. For some reason, even though I did the same thing to practically every other human being that ever decided to speak to me, I didn't like it so much when I was on the receiving end of it.

However, when I tried to leave, something like a hand clamped down on my wrist and pulled.

I turned back to face Temari, who had finally decided to look at me. She glared for a bit before pointing begrudgingly at the cake. "Have some cake."

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Cake. Eat." She said it as if I were an alien unable to comprehend simple speech.

"I don't like sweets," I said after a minute.

She sucked her teeth and grasped my wrist a little harder. "Eat." She punctuated the word carefully by tightening her grip with every sound.

I winced and shook her off. "Fine, fine. Troublesome woman," I added as I took a slice of cake and joined her in the seat beside her.

"Not having fun?" I said after a moment of silence where all you could hear was everyone else having a blast and Temari scraping her plastic spoon against a Styrofoam plate.

"The time of my life," she said sarcastically. "I just finished my fifth slice of cake."

I grimaced. Maybe she was PMS-ing. I took a slow bite of the cake and made sure not to make a reaction at how good it tasted. No reason to let her think she won.

"What, don't you like parties?"

She didn't say anything for a while. Just sat there, staring at the little mob in front of us having fun, dancing horribly in time to music she probably didn't like.

"It isn't that I don't like parties," she began slowly, eyes following people as they flailed their arms. "It's just… this is a new place. I hardly know anyone. Half the people here have never heard of me and are only here for the food, and the other half don't like me any way."

"Ino likes you. So does Hinata. And Sakura… and maybe Tenten."

"Four people." She held up a hand, four fingers up, her thumb tucked neatly into her palm.

"…I like you, too."

She seemed surprised by the statement, by the way she snapped her head to look at me and her teal eyes widened slightly. Her eyebrows were slightly drawn together, a tiny little wrinkly forming.

And then she smirked evilly. "I bet you do."

I frowned. So much for making her feel better. See if I ever tried again.

"Forget I said anything," I mumbled, choosing not to look at her and instead focus solely on the cake.

She put down her empty plate and stood up. "Come on," she said, looking down at me.

"What?"

"Let's go."

I wasn't given a choice on the matter. She had suddenly pulled my plate away from me and placed it on the table. A second later, I was being pulled along behind her as she sped out of her apartment, ignoring a red haired boy's inquiry as to where she was going during _her_ party.

A few blocks away from her building, we made it to a cleared out area with a large stone fountain placed haphazardly in the middle of the street. It was a popular tourist attraction in the day, but once it hit night, everyone except the locals melted away to flashier places, leaving the fountain abandoned.

She chose to sit on the ledge, carefully balancing herself as to not fall in, She turned more towards the shooting water, hand stretching as if to catch the droplets as they shot up into the sky. With the way the street lamps and moonlight reflected on the surface water and on her skin, it made appear almost angelic. Almost.

"Is this what emotional _Sabaku-sempai_ looks like? Because I don't like it."

She turned up her nose at me in retaliation. "Shut up. I'm not emotional." Her trademark smug expression was rather forced though, and she probably knew I could tell, because she then turned away from me and chose to stare at the fountain.

I don't like it when usually loud girls, or at least, badass girls who aren't always loud but are never actually upset, get… quiet and upset and go against their character. Like when I was younger, and Ino's mother was interned at the hospital because she was diagnosed with cancer. Usually, when things upset Ino, she'd burst into tears or throw a tantrum and make it quite obvious she was not pleased, or demand her father to fix it. But when that happened, she didn't say anything. She went on like she usually did, except she was quiet. I hadn't even found about the incident until my mother (quietly) told me to go upstairs and change out of my school uniform so I could visit the hospital.

At the hospital, Ino didn't say anything. Which frankly scared me more than anything.

So now that I was faced with usually badass Temari actually quiet, and somewhat upset, I didn't know what to do. I wanted her to get back into her usual funk. Not out of it.

"…Are you… okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm a year older. I'm legal. My brothers are here to celebrate. I have four friends who were willing to throw a party for me."

To my ears, it sounded like she said all this in spite.

"…How about your mom? And your dad?" I honestly didn't know much about her family's reputation. I just knew her father was a big shot business guy. I never cared for business, so I hardly did any research.

But she stiffened at my words. Her hand, which had been slowly circling the water, suddenly stopped.

"My mother's dead."

I bowed my head, even though she couldn't see it. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sure."

I chanced a look at her. She wasn't looking at me. And she hadn't said the retort in an angry voice. Just one that denoted that she'd heard my words a million times from various other people. People who, just like me, probably didn't understand.

"And my father has not celebrated my birthday with me for sixteen years."

I didn't bother to apologize this time. I didn't know what words to say to make it any better. But I did take a seat beside her, a seat by the side her back was turned to, so I wouldn't have to look at her face and she wouldn't have to deal with someone looking at hers.

She stopped breathing for a moment when I sat next to her. And then she breathed deeply and exhaled softly, slowly, as if releasing the tension from her body as well as the air. "You know what the funny thing is?" she asked me, her voice so soft it was hard to catch the words. I didn't answer because I knew it was a rhetorical question. I wasn't meant to answer. Just listen. She was sharing a part of herself I was sure many others had never heard before. And for some reason, that made me feel special. "The really funny thing is that I care. So much. Even after all these years, even after everything he has ever done that has ruined and destroyed every bond in our family, I care so much. Not even all the hate I have for him has managed to completely destroy the hope that maybe one year, he'll be there when I wake up on my birthday to tell me in person, 'Happy birthday.'"

There was a pause as she took a steadying breath. And then, "And then this year, he has to… he has to give me a gift that makes me want to forgive him, despite his not deserving any type of forgiveness."

For some reason, I had to make a joke. "What, a pony?"

She tensed for minute before releasing a shaky breath. "I think I'd strangle him if he ever gave me something like that. Or maybe the pony." There was a moment of silence as she steadied herself with even breaths and the flex and curl of her right hand on the edge of the stone ledge. "A card."

My eyes widened. I didn't know a card could change so much of a person's perspective.

"A handwritten card," she further explained, probably feeling my confusion in the air. "He's typed up 'cards,' sure. But this one… was handwritten." And suddenly, she stopped and splashed the water with an open palm.

Temari, I deduced, did not cry. Not even when she should cry. Not even when her body prepared itself for crying. She shook. She stiffened. She bowed her head over as if about to let the salty chemical reaction drop from her eyes. But they never did. She only took shallow breaths. She only clenched her fists. And then she pulled her mask of calm right out of her ass.

She turned around fully, front facing me for the first time since we got there. She was the Temari I knew from school and weekend outings. Except different.

As she regarded me with her bemused expression (pulled across her former expression—whatever it had been), I felt my heart tighten. Like a cord had been wrapped around and pulled.

And I was sure that wasn't a good sign.

"Do you have a ryo?"

I nodded dumbly, reaching for my wallet and extracting one coin. I handed it to her, my fingertips brushing against her palm.

She was warm. And for some reason, that made me feel tingly.

She smirked and turned back to the fountain. She held the coin tightly in her hand and closed her eyes until wrinkles formed at the ends and a furrow appeared between her eyebrows. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, grinned and bared all her teeth, and flicked the coin at the fountain.

I followed the bronze coin as it arched through the air before falling with a _plop_ into the water.

"I wished that Kankurou's curse wouldn't come true, because for some reason, I'm beginning to feel like it is," she said out loud.

I turned to her, perplexed. "Why are you telling me?"

She gave me an equally perplexed look in response. "What do you mean why? In Suna, the only way for a wish to come true is to tell the person next to you when you make it." Without another word, she turned on her heels and began the trek back to the building.

I followed quietly behind her.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that here, in Konoha, the only way for a wish to come true is to keep it to yourself, or else it's nullified.

I hoped Kankurou's curse, whatever it was, was not as bad as Ino's.

Or else she was really, honestly, screwed.

* * *

**AN: HEYHEYHEY! **

**You guys deserved it! Thanks for ALL the reviews.**

**Super fast update! I like this chapter. I dunno why. I guess it's Ino. I love that chick. I can have so much fun with her. GAH!**

**By the way, if you guys want more SUPERFASTUPDATES! you should review more often. hinthint It makes me feel better. Motivates me. All that jazz.**

**Though right now, I'm not in the mood for Naruto. The latest manga chapters have depressed the crap out of me. UGH.**


	8. viii

_Upside down  
__Bouncing off the ceiling  
__Inside out,  
__Stranger to this feeling.  
__Got no clue, what I should do.  
_--**Upside Down, A-Teens**

* * *

Chapter VIII

Seeing him right outside of school, sitting on the stairs while chatting with Chouji, looking completely and utterly and _positively_ bored out of his skull, I felt something stir within me. It wasn't this building, aching fire of passion and love, but this sickening twist in the heart, this dreadful churning in my stomach. It was god-awful, just sitting there in the pit of my tummy, rotting itself to pieces, making me want to hurl and cry and scream and laugh all at the same time.

I was sure that wasn't normal.

Some where down the line (which was a line consisting of only a few days after my birthday and only a few into second term), Shikamaru was not _just_ Shikamaru anymore. I wasn't entirely too sure who he was, besides the lazy ass tour guide who found any way to keep from having to indulge me in my outings. Somehow, he had turned from Shikamaru—the boy-thing that irritated me to no end to Shikamaru—the boy-thing that irritated me to no end and made me feel like I was sick, in a good way.

I was _definitely_ sure that wasn't normal.

While I had tried to go undetected into the school entrance by hiding my face with my briefcase, I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder and pull me to a stop. Had I been somewhat normal, the person would have found themselves gorily beaten to a pulp on three or four steps, but in my condition, I could only manage a squeal, a stomp, and growl, and the twist of their arm, void of a satisfying snap.

"Fuck!" The voice was surprisingly female, and when I turned, I found Ino crumpled to the ground nursing her somewhat dislocated arm, glaring angrily at me. I smirked, even though I felt it twitch, threatening to fall off in a moment in the girl decided to retaliate.

"Sorry," I said, somewhat feeling that way somewhere deep, deep inside. She only glared some more before Chouji came to her aid and helped her up, muttering soothing words as he led her into the building and probably to the infirmary. I had half the mind to tell them that maybe they should have changed into their school shoes, but at the sight of whimpering Ino, I bit my tongue.

"Don't you think that was a little too much?"

Shikamaru's voice managed to freeze me to the spot. Never before had a voice, especially one belonging the male species, ever manage to shock me enough to keep me from responding. But his monotone, impassive, deadpanned voice managed to do me in, in a way that escaped all logic and reasoning my vast mind could possibly come up with.

He drifted into my line of vision in that lazy way of his, almost like a cloud too tired, too fat with evaporated water, to move did. His dark eyes were unblinking as he regarded me in that expression of his, the one that never allowed anyone to ever guess at what he was thinking, or if he was thinking at all.

"I didn't _mean_ to," I argued, feeling suddenly quite embarrassed. For no reason, of course. This was Shikamaru. Of course. "She's the one who attacked me."

Shikamaru's thin eyebrows furrowed, shaping into a V. It occurred to me, for the billionth time that he could look very much like a girl if he wished to. "She was greeting you."

His tone of voice made me hiss as I turned away from him, eager to get away and into a classroom, or somewhere that would prohibit speaking. A library? Did the school have a library? "Don't speak to me like I'm crazy."

He didn't say anything, which was probably a good thing. No matter how weird it was to be around him, I wouldn't have kept from snapping his neck.

As I walked, I felt someone fall into step beside me. Looking to the side, I saw him walking with his back hunched, hands in pockets, bag slung lazily over his shoulder.

"What're you doing?"

"Stalking you," he answered quickly, before sighing audibly. "Accompanying you, genius."

"Seems more like stalking," I whispered, taking extra measure to keep away from him. For some reason, being too close made me uneasy. Like I was _dying_.

He seemed to notice, because he paused for a few seconds, letting me get ahead, before he began again. When we arrived at the front of the student entrance, he didn't even open the door for me and let me hold it open for him, even though he would usually bitch and moan and complain about the duties of men to women.

Once I finished putting on my school shoes, I peeked over the end of the row of lockers, trying to find him and his pineapple hair, but it was no where in sight. After I scoured the place once, someone was kind enough to inform me that he'd already gone.

Was he avoiding me as well? Was this some type of misunderstanding? Maybe he knew I felt weird, for no particular reason. Maybe he knew it was better to keep away, because of how I felt weird for no particular reason.

But then again, Ino had already told me enough for me to figure out that he was completely stupid when it comes to feelings, and by some of his actions towards me, already knew that to be true.

As I walked to homeroom, Ino somehow appeared right before me and stopped me in my tracks. Usually, in high school dramas, this would have been the point where she would have proceeded to call me an assortment of ugly names before slapping me, which in turn would provoke my violent nature and unleash my need to bash her head in with a blunt object. Of course, because I lived a normal life, she merely glared before pouting.

"That hurt." She looked down at her arm, which hung rather limply at her side. I winced and bowed my head apologetically.

"Sorry," I mumbled, suddenly feeling more ashamed then ever. I liked Ino. She was a good friend, when she wasn't slightly psychotic, or loud, or demanding, or bossy, or high off shopping. All in all, she was fairly tolerable and entertaining.

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I broke this arm in three different places years ago. No biggie."

I didn't ask how she broke it. For some reason, I had been learning about how most of the Konoha students had had violent injuries once upon a time. I never really got hurt, except when my father decided to be a drunk "joy."

"How can I make it up to you?" I didn't ask because I felt _that_ sorry, but because it was the least I could do. If I had been in her shoes, I would have killed me. Twice.

Her eyes sparkled up in this way that made me think that she'd been waiting for this all along. Her eyes flitted back and forth, as if looking to make sure no one was eavesdropping, before using her good arm to wrap around mine. She pulled me close, completely oblivious (or blatantly ignoring) of my stiffening and pulling away. As we walked towards her homeroom (which was on the complete opposite side of mine), she giggled.

"My birthday's in a week. And, because you totally ruined my arm," at this, she wiggled her "ruined" arm for emphasis and ignored my 'But it looks perfectly fine now!' before continuing. "You should have a party for me."

"Really."

She nodded eagerly. "That's right. At a really nice place… like the ballroom place in your building."

There was a ballroom in my building? Hell, even I hadn't known about that.

Wait, how'd _she_ know?

"Did you research my building?" I asked suspiciously, watching her from the corner of my eyes.

She shook her head. "Nope. Explored it a few days ago."

So she pretty much trespassed. Well, that made things better.

"So you want me to throw you a grand ball."

"I _am_ turning sixteen after all. A girl only turns sixteen once."

I narrowed my eyes. "…You mean, you turn other ages twice?"

She stared at me in the same way Shikamaru would if I had just said something stupid, which I didn't do often. "Obviously. I mean, I know I'm going to be twenty-five for at least six years."

For some reason, I had no problem believing her.

"Okay. Fine." I wasn't exactly too sure why I was letting her haggle me into throwing her a Sweet Sixteen, but I thought it was probably because she would have thrown a temper tantrum if I had denied her, and I had already seen her throw one when Chouji refused to give her one of his non-fat potato chip bags.

Not a pretty sight. Whatsoever.

"Great!" She let me go and waltzed the few steps left to her classroom door. She paused as she pulled the door open, one hand's fingers curling over the door pane. "Oh! And Shikamaru's birthday is the day before, so we should maybe just combine the two and go all out. Yes? Great! See you to plan the details!" And then she was gone in a flash of dazzling blonde, leaving completely fucking fooled out of my mind.

That little bitch.

* * *

"You're avoiding me."

We said the same exact words at the same exact time. Except I finished it quicker while Shikamaru drawled, drawing out the sounds more than they needed to be. He was standing at the corner of the grand ballroom my apartment building hid way in the back and rented out to private, rich people. Apparently, I fit into the category, which suited me (as well as Ino) just fine.

"What do you mean?" I retaliated, careful to keep from standing to close. He seemed just as uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other before deciding to lean back and prop one leg against the wall.

He stared down at me. "You wouldn't walk beside me like I carry some disease."

"Mad cow disease?" I offered, trying to come up with something witty, stalling desperately for time. Time to think, time to settle my stomach, time to decide whether I wanted to push him against the wall and stick my tongue down his throat or cut it.

Wait. What? Stick my tongue down his throat?

…To strangle him. Of course. Logical reasoning.

"I don't eat cow."

"Do you eat at all?" I prodded him with a finger, feeling bone and rib.

He stared down at my hand, which still hovered only a few inches away from his abs. After hastily retreating, he looked up, eyes dark and unreadable. Like always.

We didn't say anything for a while. He took the chance to stare at me, as if trying to figure me out (which I had no doubt he was probably doing anyway) while I chose to look everywhere but his direction.

I spotted Ino on the other side of the ballroom floor, chatting up the world as they all came to congratulate her and completely forgetting that in reality, it was Shikamaru's birthday that day, and that Ino's would be the next. But that was okay. At least she looked like she was having fun. And the way she smiled at Chouji… well…

A few feet away stood Neji, long hair silky and dark and glowing, even though he didn't necessarily look the same. Tenten stood close by, holding a cup of dark liquid I sure hoped wasn't liquor. She said something, causing Neji to look her way before shaking his head and hid his face behind a hand. Tenten giggled and reached over, punching him playfully on the arm. A moment later, their hands were linked, even though he tried to hide it by moving their hands behind his back.

Near the drinks, Hinata was holding Naruto's cup as he poured punch in it, completely ignoring the blood that was rising quickly to cover Hinata's face in red. After a few more of Naruto's attempts to not have the punch fly over the place as he poured it from a feet or two above the cup, a splash of red landed on Hinata's white dress, causing her to drop the cup and have it spill all over the table. In a flash, Naruto was beside her, dabbing at her dress with a napkin. What he didn't seem to realize was that the drop of punch had landed on Hinata's boob, and that Naruto was practically groping her. And that Hinata was near fainting at the touch.

And then, on the dance floor, was an over-eager Sakura pulling at Sasuke's hands, practically pleading for him to indulge her in a dance. He didn't budge, even as she pulled and stomped, though he did yell when the pink-haired girl twisted his arm so far back that it looked painful. After that, he was quite the willing dance partner, though he did shoot her glares when she wasn't staring at his face passionately.

"They're lucky."

At the sound of Shikamaru's voice, so near my ear, I jumped and turned to face him, finding him far too close for comfort. He wasn't looking at me though. His eyes were glued on the couples before us, his face still impassive and uncaring.

"Why?" I asked. It was unusual for Shikamaru to speak willingly. Or to divulge any of his thoughts that didn't include the words "troublesome" or "tiresome" or anything about women being all of that.

He stared for a moment longer before sighing and glancing up at the ceiling. "Because they've found someone. Maybe not someone to last a life time, or even more than a year, but they've found someone."

"You want to find someone?" I could barely even hear myself. I wouldn't be surprised if my question had gone completely unnoticed.

He didn't say anything for a while, making me think he hadn't heard after all. But then, "Maybe. Or maybe I've already found them and am scared shitless to admit."

* * *

**AN: Er. So. Umm. Yeah. Reaally, really late chapter. I blame it on starting school and being in twelfth grade. Updates will be less frequent now that I'm in school. Seriously. Four AP Classes? Yeah. YEAH. Too much. I don't mean to seem dumb, but my brain doesn't have that much brain power. Especially AP Calc. Just. No. I'm a writer. Not a number-person.**

**And people, because me and my girlfriend feed off each other's brain juices, we have concocted the PERFECT Sai. And he is beautiful. And pretty. And witty. And _gay_. Or, er, to be more precise, bisexual.**

**Halloween Chapter next, whut?! **


	9. ix

_I'm so far gone now, I've been running on empty  
I'm so far gone now, do you wanna take me on?  
--_**Lunacy Fringe, The Used**

* * *

Chapter IX  
**Halloween. At least it has a name.**

I hadn't realized Late-September had slowly trickled into the ending of October. School was preparing a giant festive occasion to celebrate Halloween, which everyone was, unexplainably, looking forward to. I couldn't quite understand why. Halloween was, in the end, a holiday geared towards the younger population. Like seven year olds.

Okay. So maybe Naruto _did_ have a reason to become excited.

But Ino's enthusiasm was lost on me. And Sakura's yells that the homeroom classroom had to be perfectly decorated didn't add up. And while I could easily attribute Chouji's sudden happiness at the holiday to the fact that he got so much free food that day that he could live off of it for approximately six hours and thirteen minutes, give or take, I couldn't explain everything else. Everyone was uncharacteristically happy. I had even spotted, much to my horror, Tenten dragging a sulking Neji into a Halloween costume shop, mentioning something about being "team pirates."

Dear Kami. What a mess.

Thankfully, the Suna-woman-girl-thing had stopped bothering me. After the party, she'd been too busy studying for exams and researching universities. And, for some reason, she could never stare at me for long before having to turn away and mutter angrily to herself, occasionally adding a rather violent-looking (and sounding) punch to her head.

"So, what're you dressing up as?"

Ino's voice startled me out of my musings. She was looking at one of the store windows, contemplating whether this year she should go for the French Maid outfit or the gypsy.

"Dressing up?" I unconsciously reached for Chouji's potato chips, needing something to distract myself with. The lingerie clad women in the posters promoting the _Queen of Hearts_ costume was not, in any way, doing me any good. While I had a strong sense of command over my nearly absent hormones, there was only so much I could do when there was a barely dressed woman posing in front of me. Especially one who was tall, sun-darkened, with yellowish-sandy hair and green eyes that could have easily been mistaken for the crazy-psycho-violent-girl-thing's teal orbs…

"Yeah. For the costume party."

I turned to look at her as she mimicked the pose the _Queen of Hearts_ had on the poster. She had her back arched, like a cat stretching, and her ass up, and at the sight of her, I nearly choked on the barbeque potato chips in my mouth. Chouji had actually dropped his bag, though thankfully, according to him, he'd already finished, or else there would have been hell on Chouji's appetite's part.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?"

She stopped and stood up straight, a blush filling her cheeks. "Well, I have to practice. You know. For Sasuke." She added the boy's name as an afterthought, and while before her voice was full of passion when it came to him (she made his name sound like an erotic mantra), her tone lacked all characteristics usually expected when his name was mentioned.

"Does he, you know, know you're alive?"

She growled at me before turning on her heels, going into the store and having the door tinkle shut behind her. I shrugged and followed her inside, only pausing to remind Chouji to follow.

"So, what are you dressing up as?" Ino asked again, though I could tell from her tone of voice that she was only acting civilized because we were in public. The guy at the counter flashed a smile and she returned it, though a bit hesitatingly as she battled whether to look angry or act like nothing was bothering her.

She chose to act like nothing was bothering her. She'd become angry _later_.

"Why don't we all dress up as something together, like a group?" Chouji supplied, already reaching for another bag of potato chips until Ino's glowering look stopped him.

"No," she said. "I don't want to be associated with _that_," she said, staring pointedly at me. I rolled my eyes.

"The feeling is mutual."

"May I help you, miss?" The guy had edged his way near us and had finally pounced. Though it was pretty understandable seeing as Ino's uniform skirt hardly covered anything. At all.

Ino gave him a flirty smile and said, "Yeah, I wanted to know about that Queen of Hearts costume you have out front?"

As Ino went away, chatting up the guy (and probably convincing him that lowering the price was exactly what he had intended to do), Chouji moved towards me, handing me his potato chip bag.

"So, what are you dressing up as?"

I groaned. What was it with everyone and questions? Didn't they know I disliked questions? Actually, I disliked speaking in general. Was I supposed to wear a sign that said that? "As myself."

"That's boring."

"Exactly."

"I might go as Mr. Potato Chip Man."

I gawked at him. "A potato chip brand _super hero_?"

He looked clearly put out. "Yeah? What, you don't think it's cool?"

"Frankly, I don't care. But Chouji, you've always been a man of unique tastes. Go for it." I couldn't help it if my eyes slipped to stare at Ino while I mentioned his unique tastes. It was always beyond me why he could possibly like the stick-girl-thing.

He nodded and grunted in approval, leaning back against the wall of the store. "So, what about you?"

"Didn't we already do this?"

"Yeah, but you never answered."

"I'm pretty sure I did."

"Shika, you can't go as yourself."

"I'll be wearing a suit," I protested. I wouldn't even go to the stupid party, if Ino hadn't already blackmailed me into doing so. And I hated that she had my house number on her speed dial thing on her phone. She _knew_ how much I hated it.

"Come on. Be more creative."

"That's as creative as I could possibly go."

"Be _Hado Gei_."

I didn't even deem it a comment worthy enough to answer.

"What? Shikamaru, it's just a costume party."

"Exactly. Why wear anything like a costume? It's troublesome."

"It's fun."

"Did Ino bribe you into this?"

"No. I just think it would be fun."

"Our opinions on what fun means are completely different."

"Not really. I like looking at clouds."

"Give me a break, dude."

Ino waltzed our way to us at that moment. She had three bags in hand, and she pushed one towards me forcefully enough to have me stagger back into the wall, knocking my head against the plaster.

"What's this?"

She handed one to Chouji. "Your costume."

"What?"

"I know you were planning on going as yourself, and I frankly can't stand it. So I got you a costume." I was more curious as to how she knew my size, until I remembered she was Ino, and knew _absolutely everything_, even my favorite boxers' brand.

"What about me?" Chouji complained, taking a peek at the contents of the bag before wincing. "I already planned on dressing up as—"

"No. _No_ Mr. Potato Chip Man."

And that was that. There was no arguing when Ino had that face, or when she had already decided in her mind what was going to happen. And if it didn't happen exactly as she planned, she'd do everything in her power to make it come as close to her plan as it could possibly get, whatever _it_ was.

Sure, I had no desire whatsoever to dress up as whatever goddamn character she had chosen for me, but I knew better than to contradict her. Besides, I wasn't up to arguing with the girl. When she knew I was winning, she had a tendency of raising her voice louder and louder until I had to use both my hands to cover my ears and keep from losing my hearing and just forfeit.

This goddamn Halloween party had better be worth it. It had better have tons of mackerel to offer, or I would kill people. Well, maybe not kill them, but I'd kill them in my mind. Somehow. If I had enough energy.

* * *

I didn't like Halloween. 

Now, while I disliked Halloween, it was somewhat tolerable, as long as I could lock myself in my dusty, stale room and remain there for the better part of the day.

But no. High school demanded I socialize.

And I didn't like socializing.

It was difficult trying to come up with more than one hundred and thirty-three reasons why I disliked _both_ Halloween and socializing. It was even more difficult to one up them, seeing as I wanted to determine which one I disliked more.

But as I stared at the entrance of the school that had been "decked out" in Halloween decorations, I reasoned that I disliked Halloween more.

And when I spotted Ino waving at me, I reasoned I _really_ didn't like Halloween.

I walked towards her and the group she was with, which consisted of Chouji as a pirate (did pirates eat potato chips?), Naruto (was he dressed up as a _fox_?), Sakura as a (slutty) nurse, Sasuke as a Samurai warrior, Hinata in a kimono, Neji as himself (lucky bastard, so Tenten hadn't managed to convince him into dressing up), and Tenten like Chun-Li from Street Fighters.

"Oi! Shikamaru! Over here!"

I hid my head in shame. I was already walking towards her. Did she _have_ to call out my name? Did she have to cause people's attention my way? She enjoyed the torture, didn't she?

"Sakura-chan!" I felt someone knock into me as they ran towards the group.

Rock Lee. Dressed in green. Like he usually was.

Except… those were tights.

And orange leg warmers.

"Nara?"

_God_, did I _hate_ Halloween.

I turned around slowly to face the Suna girl as she slid into view.

Was she allowed to dress that way?

I mean, sure Sakura was wearing a skimpy nurse outfit and Ino was barely wearing anything at all in her Queen of Hearts costume, but honestly… the foreign girl's costume was the most provocative. Probably because there was the whole transparent fabric-thing going on, barely covering and barely there. Or maybe it was because she was standing with her hip cocked to one side, hand on her waist. Or maybe it was because it never occurred to me that she had tits until that moment, when they were right there.

"…Are you wearing _antlers_?" she asked incredulously, and I was only half aware that one of her fingers were coming forward to flick at the Styrofoam/plastic antlers fitted on my head.

"_No_," I stressed, moving away from her reach. I couldn't help it. I wasn't necessarily scared of her. It's just that she looked translucent in the street lamp lights. She was like sinew, her skin slippery and smooth.

I really didn't like the way her Arabian dancer costume looked on her. Because it looked good. Too good.

"You're wearing antlers," she deduced, and I could tell she was trying to hide the smirk on her lips behind a hand.

I hated her. A lot. Almost as much as I hated Halloween.

"Can those count as clothes?" I asked, pointing towards the skimpy little half-shirt thing she had going on that revealed her stomach. She had a small waist. And she had a scar on her stomach. Small, but still noticeable.

She glowered at me and moved to cover herself with her arms. "Shut up. I didn't choose this. My brother did. That bastard," she added darkly, looking out from the corner of her eyes to the ground. She was probably cursing her brother in her mind.

Probably.

I wasn't too sure. I didn't like to think I knew her well enough to know what she was thinking.

"Your brother got it for you?" Wasn't that just a tad bit odd?

She nodded. "I accidentally mentioned the Halloween costume party the school was holding. When he asked me if I was going, I said yes, I just didn't have a costume. Next thing I know, three days later, Baki-san tells me there was a first-class mail package waiting for me in my room from Kankurou."

I didn't understand why she was explaining herself to me. Or explaining anything to me, for that matter. I didn't think she'd ever have to prove herself to me. Or maybe I was missing something. I never knew with women.

Women failed me. To me, they should have been named a completely different species.

That's right.

For one thing, they are incredibly bitchy.

They can't get their shit straight.

They whine and moan and complain about their life but do absolutely nothing about it.

Looks are their first priority. They spend hours at the mirror, applying that crap Ino calls make-up. They lose weight so they could fit into near-negative number sized clothing. And then they have the audacity to pull that "Oh my gosh, I'm not beautiful, I'm going to starve myself and barf!" thing on men so that we all scramble around them trying to reassure them that they are the most wonderful things to bless the earth.

Even though they aren't.

Then, the ones like Temari are the "I don't take shit from anybody" type of girls that infuriate men to no end. Why?

Because men are animals, and to have a girl like that flaunting her assets and making it known that she is totally, completely unavailable (or a lesbian, but that's almost the same thing) is almost like signing up for self-torture.

And really, the way she was there, standing, flustered from anger, breasts right fucking there, it really hit me full force that I was a guy.

"I've got to go," I said, turning around.

"Hey! Wait a second."

I turned back to her, afraid she'd notice I was trying to run away from her (or her breasts, I don't know). "What?"

She looked rather shy. Probably because she was dressed so scantily and so exposed. And while I had half a mind to ask her why'd she even bother to wear the costume if she felt so uncomfortable in it, I liked my head the shape it was, void of any irregular bump that could be born from her jab/punch/kick.

"What?" I repeated, louder. What the hell was she being so quiet for?

"Cute antlers, _dear_."

I officially _despised_ Halloween.

* * *

"A reindeer? You have got to be kidding me." 

I shot Sakura a look. "Shut up." I had half the mind to add, "_Or I'll make you_," but I was pretty sure I lacked the motivation to do so.

"Remind me why you're my friend again," I hissed at Ino as I moved towards her, trying to avoid anymore attention. People were starting to give me weird looks. I disliked weird looks.

Ino pinched my arm before noticing someone. "Temari-san!"

Gods. No.

I wanted to kill myself by then. The effort of breathing while wearing plastic brown weird things on my head while shoving my nose into a red, clown plastic nose was one that took some effort.

She slinked towards us, flipping off a random member of the male sex as he whistled at her. "Hello."

Naruto leaned into her face, completely unaware that she would probably deck him. "Who are you?" He pointed his finger at her (more specifically, her breast).

She scowled at him and pushed his face away with her hand. "No one asks any questions and no one gets hurt," she declared. She seemed to be in a no-nonsense mood that night. Maybe all the cat calls were getting to her. Whatever it was, she seemed even fiercer then ever. She was usually in a tolerable mood, especially around the girls. But this time, she seemed completely and utterly pissed.

"You look good, Temari-san!" Ino gushed, latching onto the Suna girl's arm, even while the girl stared at her as if she were demented. "That's such an original costume."

"Is it?" Temari said, rather darkly.

"Well, I think you look great. I never knew you had such a great body! What'd you do to keep in shape?"

Temari was glowering by then. She'd probably commit a murder. And I was probably somewhere on her hit list. Near the top.

The evening went on in the same uncomfortable way. While Temari wasn't exactly the most joyful person in the bunch, she was smiling easier as she continued to down the sake Naruto had managed to sneak in. After a while, she even let the random males throw comments her way, though she'd giggle only for a little while before scowling and sending them away.

That was when Sai slinked towards her, clad in black leather. His hot pants (which scarred me forever) rode up every few steps, but he didn't seem to mind. Not even the leather vest that revealed some of his chest seemed to cause him any discomfort, and when girls would stop and stare, he only smiled his wide smile, allowing his eyes to disappear and form black slits.

"How are _you_ doing?" He even _sounded_ like Hado Gei. Which was frightening. Because it was just so _accurate_.

Temari frowned at him, staring at his dazzling smile and white teeth. His signature move.

Sai was… Sai was Sai. A penis-screaming pretty boy clad in tight clothing. And for some reason, he attracted both sexes. I'd even seen a male cat following him home from school, intent on getting, as Naruto had called it, "a piece of Sai ass."

"Are you _hitting_ on me?" Temari asked, her voice incredulous. Sai nodded.

"That's right. Is it working?"

Temari frowned. "No."

He sighed and moved to sit beside her just as fluidly and quickly as she moved the chair with her foot quite a few feet away. He didn't stumble as he slid into place, only smiling wider as Temari let out an exasperated sigh.

"So, how are you and Shikamaru doing?"

I nearly choked on my drink of Coca-Cola. What? I was glad I was sitting on the next table over, or I would have thrown up all over the slick-haired boy.

"What do you mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes and throwing me a dark look. I frowned in return. Nasty little…

"You know. You guys are together, right?"

"No. _No_. Wait—you hit on me even though you thought I was taken?"

"Sure."

"You're a—"

Before Temari could finish, Sai interrupted her with that smooth, girly voice of his. "It's the thrill of the challenge."

"Chase," Temari corrected, rolling her eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"Thrill of the chase. That's the saying."

"Ah, I am not familiar with these 'sayings' people always mention."

She stared at him, completely flabbergasted.

He smiled, humming along with his victory at throwing her off. Something I hardly ever experienced myself, though I could tell from this distance that I'd love to watch her stand there, unsure of what to do or say.

"…Are you quite done?"

"No, I'm still flirting with you."

"Why don't you flirt elsewhere?" the blonde suggested, growing quite irritated. I could tell. The red of her cheeks were partly due to the sake, but also because she was becoming annoyed with the fact the guy wouldn't go away.

"I will. Later."

"Do you flirt with everything?" Temari asked.

Sai nodded. "That's right."

She stared at him for a long moment before turning her head sharply, watching as one of the second year males walked past, clad as a handsome Dracula. "Flirt with him, then."

Sai turned to watch the guy slide past before he stood in one fluid motion and leaned against the table, immediately catching the guy's attention. "Hey. Let me get you a drink."

The guy stared for a long moment before a blush clearly rose to color his cheeks, despite the white makeup covering his face. "…S-sure."

"Wait for me over there," Sai said, pointing at an empty table on the other side of the gym. The guy nodded and walked away, only pausing three or four times to turn his head and stare.

Temari's mouth was open before she whistled and leaned back against her chair. "Impressive."

Sai smiled. "I know."

"It must have been easy," Temari observed. "He obviously likes you."

Sai hummed in agreement. "I just find people's feelings quite incomprehensible."

"Is that so?"

"That's right. Like how it is quite apparent you like Shikamaru."

I stopped sipping my drink to concentrate on listening.

"Except I don't," Temari responded easily, her voice void of any emotion. Even her face was impassive, and it seemed as if her blush had drained at miraculous speed.

Sai sighed. "Ah, well that might be it…"

* * *

"Maybe you should just dance with one, Temari-san," Sakura offered helpfully as the blonde girl denied yet another of the males that had come to try to persuade her to work up a sweat along their side. 

"No."

"Why not?" I asked. I don't know why I did. I hardly knew anything anymore.

She shrugged. "I don't like dancing."

"Do you like anything?"

"No." She probably said it just to spite me, too.

I shrugged. "Figured."

Ino was staring at the two of us. Her face was flustered (she had somehow managed to convince Sasuke onto the dance floor, much to Sakura's dismay, though while they were dancing, she hadn't looked all too happy) and her eyes were sparkling. There was something wrong. Her eyes didn't sparkle unless she was thinking of ways to torture me.

"You should dance with Shikamaru, Temari-san. He's been sitting there glowering all evening." That evil little _bitch_!

"No way," I said, holding up my hands. Bad move, because a moment later, Temari's hand clamped down on one of my wrists and hauled me to my feet, ignoring my sputtering mess of refusals.

She pulled me after her as she headed towards the dance floor. I was only faintly aware of where my feet were leading me to. She had soft hands, much to my dismay.

When we stopped, she turned around and glared. "Dance," she told me forcefully. She glared daggers at me, and she looked quite pissed at the fact that I hadn't wanted to dance with her.

Crazy, psychotic, demonic woman…

"Fuck no." I pulled my hand from her, rubbing at the bruise that was forming on my flesh.

"I don't care if you'd rather _die_ right now," Temari said, taking a step closer to me and placing a hand on my shoulder. "But you will dance. And you will enjoy it. Understand?" She didn't even give me a chance to respond that hell no, I didn't understand. She simply grabbed my hand and arranged it on her waist. I stiffened slightly at the feeling of her naked skin under my palm, but she didn't show any reaction to it.

She took my other hand in hers, and pulled herself flush against me.

When she finally looked up, even though there was no visible blush, she seemed pretty embarrassed. She could hide as much as she wanted, but her eyes expressed everything. They were pretty, too, under the glowing lights of the gymnasium.

She turned. She was leading me. Like she was the man. Despite our positions clearly depicting that she was the woman, she was leading me in the dance.

Much like she led me in everything else. Or tried to, at least.

I turned her the other way, and she scowled at me. She was stiff, I noticed. She had as much desire to have me touch her as I wanted to touch her.

Well, maybe I was wrong in the assumption. Because as much as I wanted to deny the fact, there was a tiny bit of me really wanting to touch her.

"Stop it," she admonished.

"I'm the man," I said.

"What?"

"I'm supposed to lead you."

"To hell with that. We dance how I want to dance." She made to turn us in a half circle, but I resisted enough to have her give up and glare.

"I can't have a girl leading me in a dance."

"Are you kidding me? You really are a _sexist_ lazy bastard!"

I shrugged. "Whatever you want to call me." She was pissed enough to have become distracted. I pulled her into a half circle, the same move she had wanted to do only a few moments earlier.

This was fun. I liked having this battle with her. It was weird. She was always trying to prove herself, trying to show the world that she had so much more to offer than a foreign perspective. That she was as smart, if not smarter, than we were. That our food sucked, in comparison to the tasty, spicy treats her native country had to offer. That our education sucked in comparison to her homeland's, because we lacked discipline. But she was always trying to show she was something, something amazing. And I had a sneaking feeling that she was succeeding, because in this silent battle I didn't know the rules of, I couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride in myself for having actually won against her. This girl. This enigma that eluded all common sense and logic, and had me struggling to make heads or tails of it.

Almost as mystifying as a Bakawali flower, which only bloomed once in a lifetime, at night, as if hiding from sight. You never quite knew when it was going to open its petals. You had to take a guess; had to take your chances and try to figure it out yourself.

I didn't know what I was doing anymore. Much like how I didn't know much of anything when it came to this girl. Because impending doom did that sort of thing to someone. When you're expecting the worse, you stop thinking, and only wait. You wait for something that is bound to happen, that you _know_ is going to happen, and can only wish for it to happen sooner, if only to save you some face.

* * *

At the end of the night, we all walked home. We consisted of Chouji, Ino, and me, but it was a nice type of personal 'we.' 

We were drunk (or rather, Ino was _smashingly_ drunk off the sake some girl in second year had sneaked in), and we clung to each other (or rather, Ino clung to us and Chouji and I sucked it up and dragged her safely around the streets) for life. We were all sweaty. It seemed that even if you don't dance, you'll sweat up a storm when about two hundred and fifty other kids are dancing around you. Or when Ino was forcing you to drink some of her sake. And while that might not seem so bad, Ino grew into a violent drunk. Which was saying a lot already, since she was usually violent.

Towards me, at least.

"Temari-san looked great tonight," Chouji commented suddenly, hoisting Ino up slightly by her arm as she was dragging her feet and hiccupping.

I shrugged. "Whatever."

Ino stopped suddenly and Chouji and I lost our grip on her. We both turned to watch as she swayed on her two unsteady feet. She was pointing at Chouji, a scowl evident on her delicate (drunk) features.

"Don't say that about Temari-san, Chou—" hiccup "—ji!"

Chouji crumbled under her gaze, even though it wasn't nearly as terrifying as her sober one. "But, she really did." It was said so softly I was surprised Drunk Ino could hear the statement.

"Well, I think I—" hiccup "—looked better than her!" A flurry of hiccups. "Right?" She didn't sound so sure of herself. And she swayed a lot at this, nearly falling flat on her ass.

Chouji nodded. "Of course, Ino. I always think you're the prettiest."

She nodded and waved her arm around. Her hand was holding on to an (empty) cup (that had once been filled with sake). Her dad was going to kill us.

Chouji instantly moved in and carefully caught Ino as she tumbled into his arms, drunken flush clearly covering her face. "Ahh, Chouji, you're so soft!" She poked a few times at his chest, watching her finger disappear in the dent in his skin.

I could tell he was blushing, even in the cold night. He practically flared up, just like his hair, which clashed horribly.

"Let's go," I said, nodding at the rest of the street that lay ahead of us. At the end would be Ino's home, lights probably still on as her dad paced around waiting for her arrival.

As we walked (slowly, for the sake of the drunk in Chouji's arms), Ino clamped an arm on my shoulder, pulling me to a stop. She hiccupped in my face for a moment, and I nearly barfed at the smell of her breath, but she was still holding on to me so I didn't move. After a while, she seemed to regain her ability to speak.

"Shikamaru-kun, I think you're an idiot." She puffed out a bit of air at me, and I had half a mind to wretch in her face.

"Is that so?"

She nodded, and her blonde hair, which had been in a mass at the top of her head but was now spilling out of its shape, slapped me lightly on the nose. "Yup. A big idiot."

"Really?"

"Because it's so _obvious_ you like Temari-san—"

"Okay," I said, turning around and heading down the street with newly attained vigor. "Let's get this drunk home!"

"No, listen. I'm wise."

I turned back to give her a bored look. "No, you're drunk."

She scowled at me, red now covering her entire face. She resembled the color of her dress/lingerie/whatever. "You like her. It's so obvious."

"Weren't you hiccupping earlier?"

She hiccupped. But she continued speaking. "But really, Shikamaru. You don't have to deny it."

"I do," I told her. "Especially if it isn't true."

She shook her head, nails digging into my shoulder. I hadn't realized she'd clamped on to me. Again. "I see the way you look at her."

"With disgust?"

She sighed exasperatedly. I smelled the sake on her breath. "No! With love."

"I'm pretty sure it was disgust."

"No, no, no! You don't see it! You can't watch your own eyes."

"Ino, you're drunk. You don't make any sense." My hand had reached up to remove hers from holding on to me. When I tried, she only pushed down harder. Ow.

"Listen! I know you two didn't get along that much—"

"An understatement."

"—But think about it. You actually talk to her. Like you talk to me."

"And I can assure you I feel nothing but obligation towards you."

"You don't get it! When you speak to her, you sound happy."

"Actually Ino, I don't think so—" Chouji tried to interrupt, but she somehow managed to backhand him with the arm she had around his neck for support. She was talented, I supposed.

"I'm not capable of sounding happy."

"Well," she huffed, finally letting go and settling back into Chouji's arms. "You looked pretty happy tonight."

I stiffened. I might've blushed. I was thankful I really _couldn't_ watch myself, or I'd probably have caused myself to blush by thinking I was blushing.

"Come on," Chouji said, leading the way as Ino seemed to pass out in his arms. Her head was lolling and her tongue peeked out. She looked average. She might've killed herself if she saw the way she looked.

I followed. And I watched as her dad took Ino inside while glaring accusingly at both Chouji and I, though he knew we'd never take advantage. And I walked Chouji home, because he wanted to stop by a 24-hour store to pick up some chips, which I had to, obviously, pay for.

Back home, ignoring the hag as she demanded why I would arrive so late, I lay in my bed, staring at my ceiling, wondering how on earth two moths had gotten stuck on the ceiling. But I mostly thought about what Ino said. And what Chouji said. And the Suna girl—Temari.

I was pretty sure I didn't like her. Not that she wasn't good looking, but she was too fierce, too out there for me. I wanted a quiet, mediocre girl who couldn't stand out in the crowd, and frankly, Temari's four pigtails did enough of that on their own. But I was sure I didn't _not_ like her. So maybe it was an in between sort of thing. I didn't necessarily view her as a woman I could possibly call at night before bed and whisper "I love you" to, but she wasn't a woman I couldn't picture calling just to know how she was doing. Or to tell her she was as troublesome as they came.

So I was stuck being indecisive, and that was pretty much a torture for me. I liked knowing things. Maybe the whole not-knowing was finally taking a toll on me and rendering me useless in making up my mind. But there was a first time for everything.

* * *

**AN:** Ehehehe... NEW CHAPTER, HOO! 

Just to explain a lil something... Hado Gei is the "Japanese" way of pronouncing Hard Gay, a "gay" superhero-like persona that has found a place in Japanese prime-time and game shows. He's really awesome, and really funny, so you guys should check him out on youtube. Trust me, he's a cool cat.

Also, I wanted to let people know that Darkgal69 drew some fanart for this story! You guys have no idea how much that boosted my ego. I was like "OMG, OMG, OMG" and had a spazz, and then died. And was brought back to life by the awesomeness that is Darkgal69's fanart. So go on my profile and go to the link I provided to her deviantart, and check out the awesomeness of her. She also has some other ShikaTema fanarts which are pretty flippin' sexy, so you gotta check those out too. And don't forget to favorite it and leave her some comments, alright? SHOW HER THE LOVE SHE DESERVES FOR DRAWING THAT SEXY, SEXY ART.

That's all! Chances are I'll update in ten days (which is... sort of like, my norm) in honor of my girlfriend's birthday. Because I live too far away to give her real lovin', I can only provide her with a new chapter.

Or I'll just write a completely new AU oneshot, so regardless, stay tuned.

By the way... I am in the process of deciding whether or not this story will have a sequel. So... ehehehe... keep on reading! And reviewing!

Gimme some sugah!


	10. x

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air  
Can't live, can't breathe with no air._  
--**No Air, Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown**

* * *

Chapter X  
**Uniforms are the Bane of Every Young Woman's Existance**

He leaned against the makeshift counter in the classroom, bored face practically dripping on the countertop, threatening to land on the dishes I've been slaving over for hours. Sakura, who was busy yelling orders at our "cooks" to hurry up and get shit done (she was actually pretty good at making people shape up and work faster), slid towards us, flicking his head.

"Wake up, Shikamaru," she ordered, voice low and no nonsense. "And stop drooling over the food. It's _your_ fault for not getting any sleep."

He frowned at her, fingers rubbing at the spot she'd flicked on his forehead, which was slowly but surely growing red. "Shut up," he mumbled, before refocusing his eyes on me. "Everyone's raving about the food."

I couldn't help it if I lowered my eyes to avoid having to stare at him and his fierce gaze. "Thanks."

It was November and unusually nippy and cold. However, with the strange weather, November also brought the Culture Festival, the two-day school wide celebration that involved some sort of mingling between all years and some type of… togetherness as well as promoting our participation as active citizens and socializing with others outside our school environment.

That was why the homeroom class was decked out as if it were a restaurant, with makeshift tables and lights and drapes and the counter and the barbeque and the insane amount of spices that had already caused three cooks to erupt in hives and have to be removed. That was why _I_ was standing behind the counter, clothed in a chef's apron and chef's hat, waving a spatula threateningly around as I commanded my "underlings" to do as I said as we prepared typical Sunan dishes.

I would have probably had more fun, had I not been practically forced into the situation by an overly-enthusiastic Sakura and her band of following miscreants that was the rest of the class, save for the lazy bastard standing before me.

"Shikamaru!" Ino's squeal could be heard from the entrance of the classroom, where she bounced on her heels and eagerly waved at us. Hinata and a fang-toothed boy—Kiba, I heard someone call him—peeked out from behind her.

Shikamaru turned to look back at me, nodding once before ducking his head from under the drapes that gave the sense of a "kitchen" to everyone on the other side. I watched him from my perch as he shuffled his way towards his—our?—friend, probably admitting defeat on the way as he was easily hounded by her eager questions about how the day was going.

I turned away, trying to distract myself. It had been almost two weeks since Halloween, and things had grown steadily more awkward between us. There were times where I could not help but stare at him, as if my eyes were gravitated towards him, as if his laziness and disinterest created a vortex I could not escape. Other times, I'd catch him watching me from the corner of his eyes, and when I'd question him, he'd mutter a half-assed reply before dismissing me, abandoning me in whatever we were doing. There was always a sense of something being left unsaid in the air between us, and every time we were together, it crackled in the air, suffocating us, threatening to kill us the longer we remained in the other's presence.

And honestly, I didn't really know how to deal with it. My heart did strange things around him. It beat incessantly when he was near. When he spoke up during class—he was doing it much more often now, surprisingly—my stomach did strange summersaults and I felt like stabbing it repeatedly with the end of my sharpened pencil. And gods forbid we were alone and our eyes met—my skin would tingle and the hairs on the back of my neck would stand on end.

It was infuriating, the amount of (or lack there of) control I had around him. I didn't even know what was truly causing it, only that he was part of the equation.

"Temari-san!"

I jumped at the sudden sound of Sakura's voice. Looking up, I found her green eyes staring intently into mine, and she seemed ready to break down and have a fit.

"What?" I asked. I hadn't meant for my voice to sound so disinterested and borderline-annoyed. It just came out that way.

"Miroku-chan," was one of the girls in the homeroom, who I had seen eyeing Shikamaru many times during the first ten minutes of the day, "just threw up. We only have three waitresses left and there are too many people."

I didn't get where she was going with this, but I nodded along anyway. The sooner she stopped talking, the sooner I'd get back to ordering people around and reminiscing about home. "Okay?"

She released an exasperated sigh, batting away at something in front of her. "We need you. You're the only one left. Every other girl," at this, she paused to stare pointedly at the other female cooks shuffling behind us, all squealing and shrieking when the flames would rise and spit in their face, "will end up poisoning our customers."

I frowned. "You'd rather they set us on fire?"

I don't think she was too pleased that I was still managing to be sarcastic at such a dire moment in time. "I'd rather burn alive then get sued for poisoning people."

"Your priorities are fucked, Sakura."

"Please, Temari-san? I already memorized how to do all the dishes, and the guys are getting the hang of it." At that precise moment of time, one of the guys behind me yelped and there was the clatter of a pan dropping on the floor.

"Ignore that," Sakura commanded darkly, completely overlooking my 'Did you _hear_ that?' and shoving something into my arms. "Change into that, okay? I think they'll fit…" Her eyes draped over the top-half of my body. "You're not too fat."

I growled and was ready to retort when she reached in and pulled me, making me hurry out of the "kitchen" and sending me out of the classroom towards the bathroom somewhere down the hall.

I'd realized, in the bathroom, changing into the "uniform" I was supposed to wear, why our classroom was such a huge success all around the campus. The girls were dressed like sluts. I mean, the skirt I wore barely reached mid-thigh, and while I was all up for dressing as scantily as humanly possible, I had some standards to keep at school. And I was pretty sure that shirt was not supposed to make my tits look like they'd been injected with silicone and were ready to burst out.

Stomping my way back to the room, I received so many glances that I actually felt like I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Or at least unleash a flurry of violent, devil-animals that would maul me and leave only a bloody, unidentifiable mass in their wake of fury.

When I made my way back in, the entire room fell silent. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, staring and staring and staring some more. I was about so scream out something along the lines of "Fuck are you bitches _looking_ at?" when a college boy whistled appreciatively, his friends joining in on the chorus, the whole "restaurant" bursting into life again.

Sakura and Ino came immediately to my side, commenting appreciatively of how well I could pull the uniform off. Moving away from them (more like sliding as quickly away from them as I could manage), I slipped past and took up my post, taking down orders as quickly as my skirt and too-tight-to-breathe shirt would allow me to.

Once I got down a particular order for a table of six guys (who snickered and stared at _pointed_ at me, and it took all of my self-determination to keep from picking them all up and throwing them against the wall and beating them senseless), I made my way to the kitchens, ready to place the order. Shikamaru stood on the other side, staring at me.

"You look weird," he remarked once I got near enough to hear him. He slurred the words. He always sounded perpetually drunk. For some odd, almost revolting reason, I found it sort of cute.

Fuck was I thinking?

"Thanks," I spat, placing the paper down and sliding it towards him. "Do it as fast as you can. I don't want to have to be around them any longer than I gotta."

His eyes strayed from my face to stare at something behind me, possibly the table of boys. "Are they bothering you?"

I was surprised to hear him sound like he cared. "They're guys. Of course they're bothering me."

"You can take care of them," he said, shrugging, taking the paper and handing it off to the guy I assumed had yelped and burned himself, since he was blowing on a swollen red thumb.

There was an awkward silence. The kind of awkward silence that only occurs in doramas or movies, where the guy and the girl need to say something but can't. Those awkward bullshit moments that shouldn't really happen in real life but was somehow finding its way into mine.

"Shikamaru…"

His left eye twitched as his ears perked up. "What?"

"…Nothing."

He'd never understand.

* * *

"Hey hun, you got a boyfriend?" 

I glowered at the guy beside me, whose eyes were no longer focused on my face but lower on my chest. Resisting the urge to keep my elbow from bashing into the guy's face, I pushed his plate towards him, secretly hoping he was allergic to spicy food.

"She's a pretty thing," his friend observed, taking the plate with his food and still staring at me, though at least he kept his dark eyes on my face. "How old are you?"

I gritted my teeth and straightened, placing a hand on my hip. "Underage, you bitch."

The first guy laughed, a low, rumble that made his own friends burst into their own fits of chuckles. "Feisty," he said when he finished. "I like that in a girl."

"Want me to rip your face off, too?" I asked, sugary sweet tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Violent, are you?" the first guy asked, peering intently into my face. The way his eyes slipped down for a second didn't go unnoticed by me, and I only narrowed my eyes further and furrowed my eyebrows in question.

"Quite. Would you like to see what I'm capable of?"

"I like girls like that," he responded, smirking delicately. "Besides, I'm only a sophomore in college. It doesn't matter if you're seventeen."

I frowned. He was undeterred by my threats and my claim that I was still underage.

"What if I'm fifteen?" I challenged.

His other friend snorted. "A body like that does not belong to a fifteen year old."

My frown deepened. I did not like where this conversation was going, or the way the first guy eyed me like I was prey. Sure, I was pretty much asking for it wearing the clothes I was, but that wasn't my fault. It was Sakura's fault. Or some perverted boy's fault.

"Do you want to take a break now?" the first guy asked, nodding towards the doors. I snorted as he continued, "You can show me around the school."

"Keep dreaming." I pushed his plate further, hoping he'd get the hint without having to resort to violence.

Usually, resorting to violence would not bother me at all, but that tiny fact that I was in another city, in another school, away from people I knew kept me from fully lashing out. The incident with the soccer girl—Tayuya, as I later learned she was called—was one of the few times where the teachers turned the other cheek and completely ignored the fact I had pretty much attacked her.

Suddenly, his hand latched onto my wrist, and it suddenly occurred to me that I had been thrust into a horribly plotted porn movie, and that this would be the point where everyone suddenly disappeared and I was being ravaged against a bathroom stall in an abandoned girl's restroom.

My eyes slowly lifted to stare at him. "Let go," I said slowly, my tone acid. His smirk widened.

"Come on, take a break."

Before I could register what my hand was doing, it had already pushed the burning hot plate over the edge of the table, sending the contents spilling onto his crotch. He screeched and let go of my other hand, which immediately did as it wanted and landed its fist to his face.

His friends stood up, ready to—actually I didn't know. They just stood and stared and they looked angry enough to want to attack me. But before I could start beating _them_, I felt someone grab my wrist and twist, and the silence that engulfed the restaurant.

"Let me fucking _go_," I spat dangerously, pulling at my wrist.

"Fuck you did, bitch!" the guy shook my arm and pulled, and I stumbled off balance, almost landing on him.

The moment I lifted my free hand to slam into his face, _again_, he was already letting go of my wrist and gripping his face. I stood up, startled, turning wildly to face Shikamaru, who looked slightly angered, although he kept his demeanor under control and still managed to look bored.

"Fuck are you," the guy asked, obviously angry.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and pointed towards the door. "You're disrupting business. I suggest you leave."

"I don't listen to a little fucking _twelve year old_," the guy said, already advancing on him.

I stepped in between them. "You heard him. Get the fuck out before I call the security guards."

"You wouldn't dare, you little—"

Severely annoyed as I was, I wrapped a hand around his collar, pulling him down to my eye level and simultaneously choking him. "Finish it. I fucking dare you."

A hand on my shoulder pulled me back, making me let go of the guy. "Don't." Shikamaru's warm breath in my ear made me tingle as his hand fell away.

He sidestepped me and stood in front, eyeing the guy. "Go now, while she's still being nice." He paused for a second, cocking his head. "Actually, while _I'm_ still being nice."

The guy snarled. "You her boyfriend or something?"

I stiffened and was about to give that guy a piece of my mind ("Fuck no!") when Shikamaru held a hand up. "Yes. Now, please turn around and get the fuck out."

I gasped. For starters, I was shocked as hell to hear him say yes, and I was further shocked at the fact he had cussed. And… he sounded… so… so _good_ just…

I shook my head. Where the hell those thoughts came from, I had no fucking clue. But they sure as hell needed to get the fuck out.

The guy growled as he dusted himself off and left, friends following closely behind. Once they were gone, Shikamaru turned to stare at me, dark eyes trekking across my face before looking down at my chest.

"You should change," he told me, still not looking at me. "That was probably the reason why he couldn't help but hit on you." He pointed at my chest.

I looked down, finding the top two buttons had popped and I was now giving everyone a fantastic view of my cleavage.

Thanks, life. Fucking thanks.

* * *

"Are you better?" 

It was finally the end of the Culture Festival, and I had changed out of the uniform and donned normal clothing. I was sitting outside of the school, claiming a spot on the stairs while I rummaged through my bag, intent on looking for my cell phone to call Kankurou and tell him of the day's events.

I looked up, surprised to find Shikamaru already leaning down to take a seat beside me. I scooted over, making room for him, unconsciously placing distance between us. He seemed to notice, however, but didn't say a word, only raised an eyebrow in silent questioning before shrugging it away.

I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. Since the Halloween dance, I had been feeling extremely uncomfortable. I could no longer just look at him—I had to notice things and feel ill and all that horrible shit I read about in books. I got _nervous_ around him. I couldn't even bear looking at him for too long before I felt like I would actually start blushing, and I knew damn well I was incapable of blushing.

"You've been avoiding me again," he said lightly. He wasn't accusing; simply stating a simple fact. I wanted to kill him.

"No, I haven't."

I felt him nod beside me, and I was tempted to take a peek at him but kept from doing so, my eyes staring straight ahead at the group of girls chatting excitedly to each other as they made their way across the grounds towards the street.

"It's okay. I get it."

I turned sharply to look at him. "What?"

He wasn't looking at me. Instead, his eyes were planted over head, watching the clouds drift lazily by, probably wishing he could join them.

"What?" I repeated, louder. This was not the time to test my patience.

"I get why you're avoiding me. Can't blame you."

"Oh really? Enlighten me."

Finally, his dark eyes met mine and he sat up straight. "You can't deal with your feelings for me." I opened my mouth to retort, but he held a hand up, staying my response. "I know you're going to deny it and be all 'I'd never like a guy like you' but I know it's true. I can see it. You're acting strangely. You hardly look at me anymore. You hardly bother arguing. You're awful at hiding shit like this."

Never before had I had such a strange desire to strangle him. My hands itched and twitched in my lap, and I was ready to kick him in the face. I took a deep breath and turned away.

"Really, Shikamaru. Don't make me throw up."

He released an exasperated sigh. "Stop denying it. It'll bite you in the ass."

That was it. I was going to kill him. "Fuck you!"

He sat up a bit straighter, eyes narrowed. "What're you yelling at me for?"

"Stop saying stupid shit like that!"

"It's not stupid. It's true."

I wrung my hands in the air, already close enough to reaching over and wringing his skinny neck.

How it happened, I don't know, and never bothered to really going over. All I knew was that my hands had finally reached his neck, but instead of strangling him, were pulling him closer to me. My mouth was not screaming curses, but was instead softly planted on his. And my eyes were open, wide and watching him carefully as he lightly closed his eyes and kissed back.

A second later (or perhaps ten), I pulled away, breaking the contact. As I scrambled to my feet, he was still only pulling back, slowly opening his eyes, lips still puckered in such a way that I was tempted to swoop down and kiss him again.

"I…" I paused, slightly flustered. This was so unlike me. I didn't feel flustered. I never felt embarrassed. I was Temari, for fuck's sake.

"Told you," he said, smiling.

I stared. Stared some more. And then I felt an unquenchable anger rise and sweep through me.

"Fuck you," I spat, lips twisting into a grimace, watching as his smile slipped and he was suddenly sitting up straighter than ever and slightly frightened. "Don't you fucking dare pull some kind of shit like that again."

That said, I picked my things up and stomped away.

I was really screwed.

Thanks a lot, Kankurou.

* * *

**AN: I'M FINALLY BACK**

**Though, to be honest, this chapter sucked. It got things rolling, but my writing was god-awful and I've been trying for two months and really… it just fails at everything.**

**That, and I've been very, very, very distracted by two RPs I'm in. I play Temari in both, and dasfhajdkfhadf. RPs stole my life. Though I'm honestly super pissed about them and I'm so tempted to quit and god I hate being so temperamental.**

**Anyway. I made a new livejournal that will hold all my fics. They'll be making an appearance there first, just because. I'll also have drabbles and stuff I'll post there and not on my account. Don't ask why. It's just… Whatever.**

**I'm really, really sorry about my lack of update. I'm horrible. But I've been super busy. I've been so stressed with school that it's not even funny anymore. I've contemplated dropping out more than once, and it's my final year, so dfjkadjkf. Ugh. School. RPs. Life. So unnecessary.**

**Anyway, you guys should definitely check and friend my LJ, just because I really like friends (the link will be on my homepage thing in my profile) Oh, and the RPs I'm in REALLY need more people, so if you like to RP and are decent, definitely drop me a line, okay?**


	11. xi

_S-O-S, please someone help me.  
__It's not healthy for me to feel this way-  
__Y-O-U are making this hard  
__You got me tossing and turning can't sleep at night.  
_--**S.O.S, Rihanna**

* * *

Chapter XI  
**In Which the Male Protagonist Does Not Bother to Come Up With a Decent Chapter Title**

"Christmas, oh Christmas!" Ino swung her legs on my couch, narrowly avoiding sending the coffee table before her hurtling to the other side of the wall as she tipped it with her foot. "I can't believe it! It's almost here."

Chouji nodded, stuffing his mouth with chips.

"I wonder what we should do this year to celebrate our sixteenth year as Ino-Shika-Chou!"

Chouji sighed. "It's only been fifteen years for me…" How he managed to sound depressed while simultaneously crunching on a mouthful of chips was beyond me. But I did bow my head to avoid the random spurts of tiny, moist crumbs that flew out of his open mouth.

Ino blanched. "Alright, our official fifteen years as Ino-Shika-Chou! I say we go to karaoke."

I shook my head. "No way in hell." The last time(s) we had gone to the blasted karaoke box, Ino had managed to get us kicked out because of her need to randomly start ear-splitting cat fights with Sakura in response to the resident emo, Sasuke.

She glowered at me. "_You_ have no opinion in the matter."

"And why is that?"

She shrugged. "Because you're boring, so you're not allowed to choose what we're doing for the night."

Thank you, dearest friend. Remind me not to care for you as I push you off a cliff.

I had a strange, gut-twisting feeling the previous thought had been influenced by the Suna-creature-girl-woman-thing-called-Temari.

"How about a party?" Chouji suggested. He'd finished his third bag of chips and was starting on the fourth. The mess of shiny potato chip bags on my floor caught the faint sunlight streaming in through the open windows and reflected right into my eye.

"Yes!" Ino shouted.

"_No_," I stressed.

"Fine! If you don't want to do anything fun, then _you_ stay home and be bored all by yourself," Ino declared angrily. "I'm not going to have boring holidays because you're lazy ass doesn't want to do anything."

"Anything but a party or karaoke," I stated, though I tried to do so gently so Ino could give in.

She didn't. "No. I want a party."

I growled at her and Chouji didn't help any by nodding with her in agreement. "A party? Where will you get the money for supplies and food?"

She looked at me as if I were stupid. Or a bug. She wore the same face in both cases. "…What do you mean? You'll be paying for it."

I stared at her, face blank.

"…Shika?"

"Are you retarded? There's no way I'd pay for a party I'm not going to go to."

She laughed. "As if you have much choice in the matter. You'll end up paying for it anyway just so you won't _have_ to go."

I harrumphed. "No way. I'll be firm on this."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Really? So you won't get easily annoyed if I keep pestering you about it?"

"Fine." I reached for my wallet and handed it to her. "Enjoy."

She snatched it from my fingers and screamed in triumph, jumping on my couch and striking a V pose. "Yes!"

I rolled my eyes. I'd already been prepared for the little show, which was why I wasn't surprised by her shriek of anger as she opened my wallet and found only a few thousand ryos in it. The rest of my money was hidden somewhere in my room. The exact location, I didn't know. I'd forgotten about it a few days later.

Before Ino could prepare her speech on how I was an ungrateful little bastard of a friend and she'd be damned if I didn't show up for the goddamn party, my phone rang. Well, it vibrated in my pocket before it delved into a song about flowers. That was the last time I let Ino mess with my phone.

I fished for it in my pocket and retrieved the shrieking thing. Opening it and pressing the answer button, I said, "Hello?"

"_Nara. This is Temari._"

"We don't have anything to do today," I said quickly. Truth be told, it had been over a month and half since we'd exchange more than a few clipped, forced sentences, and our outings were steeped and _drowning_ in awkwardness. She could barely look at me without oozing killer intent, and I could barely look at her without feeling like I'd fucked up with something that could have been… Well, who knows?

Because I, genius shougi master with the IQ of over 200, failed to comprehend what went on between the two of us, let alone possibly figure out what I could have (or couldn't have) fucked up in the process. This relationship, or whateveritwas that we had (and it sure as hell killed me to even begin to admit there was something more than mutual hate between us) had developed into something much more than I, and probably she, had bargained for. We had signed up for something we had no idea was going to develop into something far greater than what we had expected. And granted, I didn't actually know what was going on, but I was smart enough to figure something was happening.

There was a long pause on the other line. For a moment, I thought she'd hung up. "_No. We don't. I just wanted to know if you were doing anything for Christmas._"

I was immediately suspicious; her tone was too formal, too unlike her usual sarcastic, bitchy, and blunt address. I felt my eyebrows furrow and a frown pull at my lips. "Why?" Could you blame a guy for asking?

"_I wanted to invite you to dinner at my home._" There was a pause where I opened my mouth and made fish motions out of mere shock before she spoke again. "_Don't jump to any conclusions, however. It was my brothers' idea. They're here for the holidays and they want to meet you._"

"Why?" That one word was beginning to sound like the only thing I could possibly say. For the first time in a very long, long time, I was completely fucking stumped. Even when it came to women, I could figure them out to a certain extent, but here was _this_ woman, this blonde, horrible, too-loud and demanding _thing_ causing me headaches and all types of troublesome.

"_They want to meet the guy that's been showing me around. They want to make sure you're as stupid and defenseless and useless as I make you sound_."

I frowned. That bitch. "Thanks," I said sarcastically. I was secretly overjoyed at the fact she'd managed to insert an insult for me. She was slowly coming back to normal. That was a good thing. I had no idea why I wanted her to forget what had happened—that kiss, so short and momentary and fleeting I wondered if it happened at all—and move on. I sure as hell kept thinking about it.

Wait. No. Scratch that. I didn't. I wasn't capable of thinking things like that. I wasn't one to dwell on the past. Well, not so much. I mean, I didn't think about the kiss. That's all.

Yeah.

"_Well, can you make it?_"

"What makes you think I don't have plans for the night already?" Ino, who had had an ear pressed to the back side of my phone, leaped up and pointed a finger at me, silently wording that I really _didn't_ have anything to do at all.

"_…Do you?_"

I wanted to say yes. So badly. But Ino's sudden claws digging into my neck made me squeak out a "No!" into the phone. She released me, devilish smile in place, fingers curling threateningly as I scowled at her and made a rather obscene gesture with my hand. She scowled in return and scampered away, probably coming up with ways to get back at me once I got off the phone.

"_Good. Shall I send a car to your home or can you make it here on your own?_"

"I can go on the train."

"_Very well. Please dress presentable. Not how you always look_."

I arched an eyebrow. "How do I always look?"

"_Like a bum_," she responded without hesitation. "_Be here at seven o'clock. Good bye._"

She didn't even give me the chance to respond. She'd already hung up before I could make sense of her words. Sighing, I closed my phone and turned my head, only to find Chouji and Ino's faces incredibly close to mine, curious looks on their faces. I had yet to tell them what had happened that day of the Culture Festival, but they had somehow sensed that something had happened, even if they didn't know what.

"What?" I asked them.

"You're going to have dinner with Temari-san's family?" Chouji's voice sounded incredulous. Ino's nod made it apparent even she was at a loss for words.

I shrugged. "They wanted to—"

I got a stinging slap on my arm courtesy of Ino's waving hand. "Do you know what this _means_, Shikamaru?" My blonde friend's voice sounded so ecstatic I was slightly scared at what her conclusion was. That drunken Halloween night still gave me nightmares. Particularly because it had me wondering if Ino _did_ have a point after all.

I stared at her. "No."

"It means that she _likes_ you."

"…How do you figure?"

"Well, because that's how girls are. A girl doesn't invite a guy to dine with her family if she doesn't like him. In fact, most girls don't invite a guy to dine with her family unless they're dating and she's _really_ serious about him." She stopped speaking for a moment before turning to look at me. "Are you two dating?"

"No." I sighed and rubbed at my temple. I'd had the same thoughts running through my head before, and although Temari's actions were only further proving my point that she did, indeed, actually feel something akin to _like_ when it came to me, one part of my mind was denying it. _There's no way she'd like you. She hates you. She really, really hates you. Look at the way she can't even look at you anymore. It's not embarrassment. It's disgust._ The thing I couldn't wrap my mind around, however, was why I cared so much. Never before had I been so affected by a girl, let alone a woman, and her feelings towards me. Never before had I been so intent on figuring out what went on in that crazy thing's mind, or what she felt when it came to me, or how she'd react if I said this or said that.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to settle the turmoil going on in my stomach. It was like some kind of battle was going on inside me, random atoms waving torches and tridents at each other in all-out war. "That fact alone clearly nullifies your hypothesis. In this case, she isn't interested in me at all but wants to appease the men in her family that we have nothing going on."

"But," Ino exclaimed, waving her pointer finger around dangerously, nearly poking out Chouji's eye. "Why would they think such a thing if your actions didn't suggest it?!"

"…Ino. Shut up. I'm getting a migraine from your constant chatter." And it was true. My mind was doing that _throb throb_ thing it did when someone (mainly Ino or the mother-hag) talked too much and irritated me to the point of suicide.

She punched me on the arm. "You're hopeless. See if I ever help you again."

"You call this help?"

She nodded firmly before leaping off my couch and pulling Chouji up. "Come on," she said, pointing at me. "We're leaving."

"Go ahead."

"You're coming with us."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm perfectly content with staying at home doing absolutely nothing." A moment later, I felt Ino's hand on my ear, pulling me up ruthlessly even as I yelled in protest.

That's right. I _yelled_.

"The hell, Ino!"

"We're going to go buy Temari-san's gift, which you're going to give to her," Ino declared firmly.

Joy.

* * *

How I found myself to be in a jewelry store was something I rather not have dwelled upon, seeing as the entire ride to the shopping center had been made of Ino's screaming and berating and demands and all those other things that spelled out troublesome. By the time she had forced me into the store, I had deduced my mind had been left somewhere back in my home. Probably under the couch after Ino kicked me square in the jaw. 

But there I was. Standing under fluorescent lights as Ino paced up and down isles peering through glass stands to decide which piece of jewelry would interest the Suna beast most. And while I had somewhat told her I didn't think it would be a good idea for me, a guy who had no relationship whatsoever with the girl, to get her that kind of gift, she immediately punched me in my neck and told me to shut the hell up because she was going to make this happen.

Whatever "this" happened to be.

I let her roam around. There would be fewer incidents if I didn't stop her on her rampage through the store. Chouji was off at a corner, peering into a glass case which I knew held a flower pendant. I also knew he had the last bit of money needed to take it home with him to wrap up and have ready for Ino's present.

"May I help you, sir?"

I turned to look at the saleswoman, who barely looked any older than me, with an irritated, bored expression. "No," I said bluntly. I felt like Temari was rubbing off on me. The girl's eyes widened and she looked ready to cry. I struggled with myself and raised my hands in a surrendering type motion to keep the girl's tears at bay. "I mean, I don't need help."

She nodded slowly. "Ah… alright, Shikamaru-kun."

Wait, she knew me?

She was blushing and far from me by the time I managed to look her way again. She was staring at me from the corner of her eyes before looking at her hands and playing shyly with them.

…Oh hell no. One of the few girls from school who had a crush on me, and although I acted like I had no idea, it was hard to pretend when there were frilly little cards filling my locker to the brim.

To not have to watch her, I looked down at the glass case thing in front of me, pretending to be completely absorbed by the necklaces it displayed. As I scanned them, however, I suddenly stopped at the sight of one.

It was a very thin golden chain carrying an intricately designed pendant made of oddly shaped glass with a thin golden wire looped around it to make it interesting and hold it together.

"Excuse me," I called out to the girl, who hurried to my side in only a few seconds. "What's that?" I pointed at it.

She blushed as she looked at me. "It's a Libyan Desert Glass pendant with an accompanying necklace."

"Libyan?"

She blushed even more. "…It's a type of glass formed in ancient times. It was found in King Tut's tomb and his breastplate and later found in the Libyan Desert of Africa. Scientists believe it was formed after an asteroid hit the sand."

Fuck. It sounded perfect. "…How much does it cost?"

Honestly, I wasn't the type to buy gifts, often because it entailed far too much effort on my part but also because finding the perfect present for someone is pretty damn difficult. Even my genius failed when it came to that. Chouji was pretty easy to buy stuff for (a gift card or certificate to any restaurant would make his year) but when it came to people like Ino or my mother, I was pretty damn hopeless. They were so damn picky that I was always left trying to figure out what they meant with 'Oh, that's such a pretty dress! But probably too expensive…'

The girl smiled shyly and began reaching for it. "Don't worry, Shikamaru-kun. If it's for you, I'm sure I can lower the price."

I laughed nervously. I had no idea why I was going to buy it. I didn't even like Tema—the Suna beast and she-devil, or whatever the hell my mind was in the mood to call her. She was one of the most troublesome women I had ever had the misfortune to meet. In fact, I could even say she was more troublesome then the hag, and that's saying a whole goddamn fucking lot.

Yet I didn't stop the girl as she charged it and started packing it away in a pretty little box which she then proceeded to wrap in colorful, shiny plastic and a golden bow. I didn't stop myself as I handed her the money and she put it away in the till. I didn't stop Ino from making sarcastic comments or Chouji when he tried to sneak a peek at the present when I wasn't looking.

…What the hell was wrong with me?

I had gone retarded. Oh, fuck.

Back home, my mother glared at me as I dumped my things by the door, completely disregarding her. However, I kept my small little purchase with me, instead opening my jacket and stuffing it inside.

"Oi, what is that?"

"What is what?"

"Don't feign ignorance, Shikamaru! Show me what you have there." She was pointing her spatula at me. Fuck, was I in for it.

"It's nothing, Mom." I sped by the kitchen, trying to avoid her and ran up the stairs. When I looked back, she was standing at the bottom of the landing, this time waving a knife.

"Oh, so _now_ I'm your mother, eh? Before I was just the hag, huh? Well, if you don't tell me what that thing is by dinner time, I'll cut your ears off, do you understand?"

…Oh, _fuck_.

* * *

The weeks leading up to Christmas were harrowing; I felt like I was getting sicker and sicker as the days ticked away. Temari's present (I had given up on trying to find ways to call her anything but her name as it was too troublesome for me to think of something other than the increasingly boring names I had already thought up) sat on my desk for the remainder of the two weeks, slowly collecting dust, even though I _somehow_ found an excuse to always brush it over and make sure the necklace was still in place. And, I was sure the apocalypse was coming because of this, but I had already picked out my outfit for the dinner, compromising of a nice dress shirt Ino had bought me that year with a pair of dark slacks I had found lying at the bottom of my closet. The slacks were _ironed_, don't worry. 

When the night finally came, I was a nervous wreck for, of course, no apparent reason. Even with Chouji, who sat with me in my room, munching away on potato chips while randomly providing support ("Nice tie, man") I had a hard time keeping from bashing my head into the nearest wall.

Finally finished getting dressed, I turned to face my best friend, extending my arms to the side, scowling at my reflection in the mirror, which I caught from the corner of my eyes. He smirked and gave me a thumbs up, reminiscent on Lee's typical confidence-boosting pose.

"I feel like an idiot," I told him.

He nodded sagely. "That's because you are. You're doing all this for a girl and you've yet to admit you like her."

"That," I started slowly, padding my way towards my desk and pocketing the gift, "is because I don't. Like her, I mean." Even I didn't sound convincing to my own ears. But, really, I _didn't_ like her. She was everything I couldn't stand. Everything I hated about woman packaged into this one, not-so-tiny bundle of sensuous curves, bushy blonde hair, sharp edges and roughened wit. Knowing myself, I couldn't possibly be attracted to the woman. She embodied the epitome of Woman-To-Stay-Far-Far-Away-From. There wasn't a day that didn't go by without her doing something troublesome to cause me grief. Like talk to me. Or look at me. Or score higher on an English essay I had actually tried on. Or run through my mind day in and day out without any reasonable, logical explanation as to why I was thinking about her in the first place. Shit like that assured me that there was no possibly way in hell I could feel anything but immense dislike towards the woman.

He didn't say anything, only popped another potato chip into his mouth. When he was done with it, he shrugged. "If you say so, man."

I frowned. I felt like an even bigger idiot, telling him so vehemently that I could not have any sort of affection for the Suna woman. Even though I didn't like her, I still felt so uncomfortable having everyone think I did.

"I'm agreeing," he said calmly, ignoring my obvious discomfort.

"Right." That was the end of that conversation.

* * *

I was nervous when I finally stopped before Temari's door, shuffling my feet anxiously while stuffing my hands into my pockets. I could hear faint noises coming from the other side of the door, and that fact alone scared the crap out of me. Probably because I'd been half-expecting for her invitation to be complete bogus and arrive to an empty apartment and a note taped to the door that had something written along the lines of "HAHA, SUCKER!" But now, as a shriek and howl of laughter come from inside, I could tell there were others there. 

Sucking in my stomach, mentally trying to prepare myself for whatever kind of torture and impending doom awaited me on the other side of that ever fateful dark, newly-polished door, I raised my fist, paused for a few seconds, shook my head, and proceeded to knock curtly, once, twice, three times. There was a crash inside and a loud, obnoxious male voice saying something vulgar and a high pitched shriek of anger that sounded like it came from Temari. And, two seconds later, the door opened, revealing a slightly shorter guy on the other side, bright mop of red hair falling in front of his face, cold, ice blue eyes staring intently at me through the strands.

"Welcome," he said calmly, stepping aside to let me through.

At the first sign of movement, I took a step back, honestly surprised. This guy did not look normal. The fact his eyes were rimmed with black eyeliner, his eyebrows were nonexistent, and the tattooed kanji _love_ on his temple reinforced that fact. I could faintly remember seeing him at Temari's party, but close and personal, he looked even more scary than he did feet away and draped in emo shadows.

"Yo," I said, rather awkwardly. I took turns staring between the red-haired guy in front of me to the two figures behind him, one bent over with a thin, muscular, tanned arm wrapped around the neck while the one choking him stared at me with bright teal eyes that still managed to shock the hell out of me. I took a few steps forward, as the redhead's expression remained unchanging and he closed the door behind me gently, standing behind me as I stood rooted to the spot, still staring at the pair in front of me.

The guy Temari had in an arm lock raised a hand and pinched her arm, earning a yelp of surprise from her and having her immediately let go as she jumped nearly a foot backwards. The expression of surprise and embarrassment looked so out of place on her face that it almost made her look cute.

Almost.

The guy, who was about a foot taller than Temari, with light brown hair and dark eyes, strolled forward confidently and outstretched his hand in the form of a handshake. As uncommon of a greeting as it was, I extended my own hand, grasping his and wincing a little as he tightened his hold considerably, as if trying to squeeze the life out of me. He smirked at my reaction and bowed his head a little.

"Hey there." He let go and took a step back, seemingly content with having bruised my hand. "I'm Kankurou. That's Gaara," at this, he tipped his head forward to indicate the redhead. "And, you obviously know my sister Temari."

Temari scowled and crossed her arms before her chest, brows furrowed as she glared at her brother. "_You_ shut up, Kanky." Obviously, the pet name I'd heard her use months before still affected him, and he stiffened and uttered a steady stream of curses under his breath. Satisfied, Temari turned her eyes to me, holding my gaze until I had to break away and stare at anything but her. "I'm glad you could make it."

Her voice sounded so strained I didn't have a doubt in my mind she was lying out of her ass.

"Well, don't just stand there," Kankurou said having apparently recovered from Temari's slight. He led the way inside, pausing long enough to glance at Temari before turning back to me to inform me I didn't have to remove my shoes. I glanced at their feet, fairly surprised to find Temari had chosen to wear boots that would have made Ino either jealous or proud (maybe even both).

As Temari turned towards the couch, I took the chance to observe her. Her shoulders were rigid, tense, and the way she carried herself was far stiffer than her usual air of indifferent confidence. She couldn't look at me for too long after our first staring match, and every time I caught her glancing my way, she subtly lowered her eyes and inspected something else of interest, like her hands, the material of her short skirt, or the patterns of the wood flooring.

She was definitely uncomfortable. The fact that I was probably the one to blame for that made it so much worse.

"Sit down," Gaara commanded gently, hand waving towards an armchair. I carefully took a seat just as he sat beside his sister and Kankurou sat on the other side.

There was that compelling silence that usually happens during these types of things. The not-too-comfortable silence no one really likes but doesn't want to actually be the person to break as the two brothers took turn turns to glare at me, sizing me up and determining what to do with me.

Kankurou, it seemed, hated the silence as much as I did, except he was completely willing to break it. "So, you're Shikamaru, the guy that's always taking my sister out."

"I'm her city guide," I said, my voice calm.

He nodded slowly. He didn't say anything for a while and Temari, who I'd been watching from the corner of my eye, fidgeted nervously before leaping up and bounding away towards the kitchen, excusing herself angrily. I was left amidst her brothers, silence reigning again, awkward, stifling air threatening to choke the laziness out of me and have me bounding for the door in a rather pathetic attempt to escape what was probably going to be my death.

A few minutes later, she arrived with a tray, kettle of tea and four tea cups placed carefully on it. She set it down on the low coffee table and sat back, elbowing Kankurou as she leaned into the couch.

"You ain't gonna serve it?" he asked her, voice loud and obnoxious and unnecessary.

She rolled her eyes and pointed her elbow at the table. "If you want, you pour."

"You suck at being a woman," he muttered darkly at her, leaning forward to begin to carefully distribute the tea.

"You suck at shutting the fuck up," Temari retorted, leaning forward slightly to move his arm and cause the scorching liquid to spill on his hand. He yelped and turned to glare as she gave him a saccharine smile, pulled tightly into place.

I took the offered teacup from Gaara (who had stepped in and poured the tea himself), bowing slightly at the offer. He returned it with a nod, before handing over the teacups to his siblings. I took a sip, letting the liquid burn down my throat and warm me instantly. It was actually pretty good. Jasmine tea. A hint of mint. A strange combination, but good nonetheless.

Looking her over from the top of my cup, I saw she had closed her eyes as she took a sip, her hold on the cup aggressive, nothing gentle about it. She looked like she was enjoying it. The sight of an unbidden Temari was rather nice. Scary, but still nice.

"Did you make this?" I questioned, my voice sincere. At least, it sounded sincere to me. Her eyes snapped open and she lowered her cup, placing it unceremoniously on the coffee table.

"Why?"

"Because it tastes like shit," Kankurou interjected happily, earning himself a slap on the arm as Temari stomped away, returning a few minutes later with cookies and sweets on a small plate. She placed it on the table, hardly bothered by the loud clatter it made as it tipped side to side as it tried to settle.

"Our lovely sister is back," Kankurou remarked.

"She's not _my_ sister," I added, still cradling my cup.

"I poisoned that," Temari stated bluntly. Her face was so impassive that I choked on the sip I had taken.

I couldn't _wait_ until dinner.

* * *

Apparently, things do get worse when in the presence of the Sabaku family. 

Things had been going alright. There wasn't much talking, and Baki-san had finally appeared, the Christmas feast done with. The table was set with so many dishes I had a hard time actually choosing which one to eat, though I ended up going for the crap closest to me, even if I was slightly afraid of what it was. I also completely ignored the fact that almost all the food was spicy, and that I hated, hated, _hated_ spicy food. Hated anything that wasn't bland, plain, normal and unchanging. Probably why I hated Temari so damn much.

Temari, who was sitting beside me, munched away on everything she could reach. She didn't seem fazed by the fact I was a guy that wasn't related to her as she pinned a piece of chicken with her fork, analyzing it critically before closing her mouth around it and chewing thoughtfully, mulling over the taste. Kankurou, directly in front of her, seemed to share her habits in eating, though he wasn't nearly as refined as she was. Baki-san, who seemed utterly disgusted at the way Kankurou handled his food, simply poked at the contents of his plate before declaring himself unable to eat anything and promptly getting up from the table. Gaara, who sat at the head, ate politely and calmly, always dabbing his mouth with a napkin and taking slow, careful sips of his water.

At one point, Temari reached over the table, trying to get to the chicken. Kankurou followed, evil smirk slipping onto his lips. The blonde made a noise at the back of her throat and drew back, watching him carefully as she pursed her lips into a thin line.

"So, Shikamaru." Kankurou turned to look at me. He'd managed to wrangle a piece of chicken from the dish "How old are you?"

I raised an eyebrow warily before answering slowly. "Sixteen."

Kankurou nodded slowly, as if taking in the information with careful consideration. "So… any extracurricular activities? Band? Chess? Rape? Kendo?"

I felt my left eye twitch and my fingers curled on the fork I was using to eat god-knew-what. "Excuse me?" I could feel Temari stiffen beside me and a sudden movement—a kick she had probably meant to aim at her brother but ended up aiming at me.

"Extracurricular activities," Kankurou repeated, highly amused. The wicked smile on his face, so similar to his sister's, only widened as Temari hissed threateningly at him.

"…Just chess," I mumbled, lowering myself slightly to rub the spot Temari's foot had connected with my bone.

The answer seemed to have placated Kankurou, but a moment later, a dark look flicked across his face, and his eyes turned shadowy and angry as he drummed his fingers against his glass cup.

"Let's just cut to the chase," he said, voice gravelly. "I want to know if you've got something going on with my sister."

"With your sister?" I repeated dumbly. Where the hell was this coming from?

"Yeah. That." Kankurou pointed at Temari and she bared her teeth at him.

"Her?"

"Obviously," she muttered. "What other sister could Kankurou have possibly been talking about?"

"She's a girl?"

"I know it's hard to believe…" Kankurou drifted off tactfully.

"I've got tits," Temari said darkly. "I'd flash, but I think that's indecent at the dinner table."

"Yeah, besides, I'm _your brother_," Kankurou reminded her with a tone of disgust.

"So am I," Gaara said, having regained his composure and going back to his meal. "Although Shikamaru-kun may enjoy it—"

"I wouldn't," I assured them.

"—We cannot risk such indecent exposure on your part, Temari."

"Thanks," she said, her voice drowning in sarcasm.

"Anyway, so you guys haven't had sex?"

"No _way_," I said, as if the mere thought of having sex with her was revolting.

She looked just about ready to kill me.

"Kankurou, really," Gaara said calmly. Temari looked like she wanted to kill him, too.

"You know you were thinking it too, Gaara! He's probably had his way with our sister so many times now!"

"I _haven't_! I wouldn't have sex with her."

"I wouldn't have sex with him!" Temari exclaimed. She was standing by then. Her chair had disappeared behind her. Probably crashed into the wall. Or the floor. Then she turned to glare at me. "Wait, what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You _liar_!" Kankurou yelled, pointing accusingly me.

"I'm not lying! I haven't touched her! Let alone have sex with her!"

"You're saying like it's a bad thing!" she screamed.

I gave her a widened eye look. "What the hell?"

"Are you trying to say my sister isn't good looking? Because you know, back home, she's really popular."

She turned back to glare at Kankurou incredulously. "You're protecting me now? What if I have had sex with him, and we're just lying?"

"But we _haven't_!" I yelled. Not so much as yelled as _spoke in a tone louder than my usual one_.

"You have! I knew it! I'll smother you, bitch!" Kankurou yelled, throwing himself over the table to reach me. I shot up and moved away just in time, before Kankurou's long fingers could reach and wrap around my skinny neck.

* * *

**AN: I fail. I fail so hard that I just need to be rid of my failing misery.**

**Please review. Thank you. That is all.**


	12. xii

_I want you, I want you.  
_**-- I Want You, Fat Joe ft. Thalia**

* * *

Chapter XII  
**The End of Christmas and the Adventure to the Karaoke Box That Could Have Resulted in Ino's Death Had I No Control**

After things finally settled down in the dining room, my brothers went ahead and started on the dishes, sending me on my way to attend to "my" guest in the living room. Baki-san had disappeared into his bedroom, away from us and the chaos we inspired. He was probably calling our sperm-donor father up to tell him just how psychotic his children were, and that if he really, really, really had to remain in Konoha to take care of me.

"Sit," I commanded, once the faucet on the kitchen turned on and was so loud it drowned out any and all other noise. It was a steady hum of water, the soothing kind, not the one that dripped and made you half insane. The kind that lulled you to a pleasant half-slumber if you allowed your mind to wander and escape from the boundaries of reality.

"I'd rather—"

"Fucking _sit_." I couldn't understand why he could follow Gaara's "suggestion" earlier so easily but felt the need to question me and defy me when I asked him, nicely (at least, that's what I consider nice), to sit his ass fucking down and shut the fuck up and pretend to be enjoying himself when, clearly, there was nothing remotely enjoyable about our situation.

He sat down, even if it was slowly, lowering himself while watching me with dark, half-lidded eyes and long eyelashes. His face morphed into this expression I couldn't quite place. It was a mixture of his usual bored expression (everything, really, was a mixture of his bored expression), but there was something more. Apprehension. Or… or something else. I couldn't put my finger on it. I found that I was completely and utterly irked by that.

"You okay?" I asked.

I didn't want him to be. I wanted him to be as uncomfortable and awkward and completely uneasy, just like I felt. I didn't want to be the only one there, feeling like there was something out of place, something different, something that I couldn't figure out. It bothered me, not knowing _what_ bothered me. I just knew it was all directly related to him, and that he had somehow started this strange-and-different-but-not-exactly-bad kind of thing inside me. I hated his guts. So much that I wanted to see said guts ground into the floor.

He nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you look like a deer caught in headlights. And then, you know, rammed over by a large cement truck, guts splattered on the floor, brain on the windshield."

He winced. "Thanks. As if you couldn't picture my death any more pleasantly."

I took a seat beside him and nearly jumped right back up as if I'd been burned. Our legs had bumped together, though it hadn't been intended. A mistake, because I had sat too quickly and too close and hadn't anticipated any type of contact.

I edged away, and he pretended not to notice. Or maybe he really didn't notice. I couldn't tell with him. He never let on that he knew something was going on. And when I finally realized he knew what I was on about, it was too late to counterattack any plan he had come up with. I had learned this months ago during a random chess match, where he had led me to believe I was winning only to come from out of nowhere and beat my ass down to the ground with three simple moves and the word "Checkmate."

Silence again. Awkward, suffocating, stale silence hanging in the air. The silence that you often get when you say the wrong thing. Like when a girl just broke up with her boyfriend, and you try to comfort her by saying, "Well, at least you're not pregnant," only to have her stare at you with fire in her eyes because yeah, she _is_ pregnant. That kind of silence. A pregnant silence. Except, it wasn't literal here. Which sort of defeated the purpose of the analogy, but I was too high-strung and quite unlike myself to care.

Because really, it had been _weeks_ after the kiss incident. We had hardly spoken to each other, and every time we did, we had to act weird and skirt around the issue, as if it were something big. Even though it wasn't. Because a kiss is just a kiss. People in Europe kiss all the time, and it doesn't have any sort of romantic connotations. I kissed all the time, and didn't mean half of them. Hell, I did a lot of other damn things and hardly even _cared_. So why was I acting so retarded about this? I was Sabaku no Temari. I didn't act weird about shit like this. I was usually the one teasing the guy about acting weird about it.

But it was different with him. Every time the thought of the kiss crossed my mind, I'd get a little more nervous, a little more fidgety, a little more unlike myself than ever. Every time I thought about I, I could _feel_ his lips' lingering touch on mine, felt a little more lightheaded and sick and everything that signified I was not quite well. And every time I remembered the look he gave me afterwards, smug and triumphant, as if he'd been expecting the kiss all along, I felt goose bumps rise along my neck and the insatiable need to kill a bitch.

"Here."

I felt something land on my thigh then, effectively drawing me out of my inner turmoil. I looked down to find a neatly wrapped gift box, small and compact. My hands reached for it of their own volition, even though I wanted to question him about it first. You know, curiosity about why the hell there was a gift on my lap. A gift that had come from him.

He never seemed the type to give gifts. In fact, he'd mentioned he hated gifts because of how troublesome it was trying to think of getting something for someone. He hated meaningless gifts, and if he couldn't figure out the perfect gift, then getting one would be pointless. I thought that was a bunch of bullshit, but I usually said that about everything he had an opinion on.

"What is it?"

He shrugged. "Open it if you want." He sounded so nonchalant I wanted to throw the gift right back. At his _head_.

I held it up as I stared at him unblinkingly. "Why?"

"It's Christmas." No fucking shit, Mr. Obvious. Please, anything else we'd like to add? The sky is blue. My hair is blonde. You're a goddamn idiot and so hot dressed up—

Wait. What?

"I didn't get you anything." I felt slightly guilty. It wasn't really my fault that my voice sounded so unappreciative and rude and obnoxious and downright cold. It was his fault, if you thought about it. If he didn't _look_ like that, or _act_ like that, or _look at me_ like that, none of this would be happening. We'd just be Temari and Shikamaru, two unfortunate teenagers thrust together because I had been stupid enough to apply for a foreign exchange program and he'd been unfortunate enough to have to earn money and need a job.

"Good. Now open it. If you want," he added sheepishly.

I stared at him suspiciously before shrugging and shaking the box. After a minute or so of consideration, I carefully tore open the wrapping and opened it.

A pendant. A beautiful glass pendant on a thin chain. A beautiful glass pendant on a thin chain that must have cost him at least two paychecks.

"Na—Shikamaru?"

He looked a little embarrassed by the way his lips puckered out and he avoided my eyes. "Eh? Don't like it?" He extended his hand. "Give it back. It isn't too late to return it."

"N-no!" I held the box near my chest, feeling my heart thump wildly. This was not supposed to happen. I was not supposed to be so easily moved. I wasn't supposed to care. But I couldn't help it. It was the first meaningful gift I had received in years that didn't come from my brothers. Not that their gifts weren't meaningful, it was just that sometimes, getting the same gifts from the same people could bother you. "You can't take it back!"

He nodded smugly. "Good."

I lifted the pendant out of its box and stared at it as it reflected the light from the living room, throwing yellow-white shadows over my face and the wall in front of me. It really was very beautiful. I had never seen something like it. I could tell it was made from sand hit by lightening, but I had never seen it create something so beautiful.

"Hey."

I looked at him. His face was suddenly so close. Too close. I could feel the warmth radiating from him and the breaths he expelled from his nose and mouth. And… and why were his eyes closing? Was his face getting bigger?

"What the fu—?"

And suddenly I felt his lips on mine and it was nothing spectacular but at the same time everything I had ever dreamed even though I was quite sure I'd never dreamed of it before at all but I knew well enough that I had and the thoughts of our first kiss were now being slowly replaced by the feeling of his mouth, soft and giving and lazy and the feeling of his hands on my face, pulling me closer, not bothering to deepen the kiss but still dragging his teeth over my bottom lip in such a forgetful, lazy way I was half tempted to pull back and ask if he even meant to kiss me at all.

"OI. STOP DEFILING MY SISTER!"

* * *

Just outside the apartment building, I let go of Shikamaru's wrist as we reached the stone fountain the building's front had displayed for outsiders. I stood near the ledge, watching my reflection on the water's surface, the dark of the night and lack of substantial light still not enough to erase the fact that there was a furious blush on my cheeks and that my face looked anything but calm and collected. 

I turned on the spiky haired Konoha boy, my tongue itching to unleash a fury of harsh words. But the look he gave me, confused, irritated, out-of-his-comfort-zone, deer-caught-in-headlights made me falter and my breath catch in my throat.

There was a blush on his face as he raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, feet shuffling nervously while the other hand went from swinging on his side to being stuffed into a pocket. He was making me even more nervous, just looking at him like that. And the cold, biting air did nothing to calm the heat that kept rising to my face.

"Why'd you go and do _that_ for?" I finally managed to say. My voice didn't sound like my own. It was different, in a subtle way only someone who really knew me could detect. He probably had no idea I was nervous and confused and torn and what the hell was _wrong_ with me?

"Don't worry," he said, taking steps away from me, widening the distance by at least three feet. "I won't do it again."

I rubbed at my arms, suddenly regretting the fact I hadn't taken my coat. Shikamaru, on the other hand, had been smarter about that. He didn't seem fazed by the wind picking up around us, only pulled on his coat tighter.

"Of course you won't," I hissed, my tone laden with acid.

"What's the big deal?" he asked, staring at me, unblinking, unmoving, silently challenging me, probably unaware that he was doing so. But I held his gaze. "What's the big fucking deal about a kiss?"

The big deal? _The big deal_? There was no fucking big deal. I dropped my arms, narrowed my eyes. "You're a fucking idiot."

He rolled his eyes, his sudden irritation much more obvious. "Oh really? I'm not the idiot that fucking _enjoyed it_."

I stiffened at his words. "You're a fucking _idiot_," I repeated, colder, sharper, angrier. He seemed stunned by my tone. His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, the warmth of his breath curling into white puffs as they disappeared in the air. "You're a child. A dumb, stupid child who knows nothing about taking responsibility for his actions. You know nothing about owning up to your shit, and you're just a stupid fucking child not worth a minute of my time." For some reason, the words made my heart twinge guiltily as I stared at him, holding his gaze, teal against black.

He was pissed. I could tell. He closed his mouth, pressed his lips into a line, his features all the more angular. He was definitely not pleased. Actually, that was probably an understatement. "Then leave."

Two simple words. Two simple words uttered without a blink of an eye or any sort of hesitation. He was really daring me this time. And he knew it. He knew it just like I knew it. He knew just as well as I did that this was the beginning of something far greater than we could have anticipated. The moment I took up the challenge or the moment I denied it would change everything.

"I will."

I turned on my heels, took a few steps, paused. But I didn't turn back to look at him as I said, "I can't believe I ever saw you as more than just a little kid who knows nothing about the real world. I was obviously mistaken."

I didn't know if I had managed to hit a sore spot with the words, or if I had left him completely unaffected. I wasn't sure if I would have felt better knowing I had managed to shock him, managed to wind him, managed to make him have a different facial expression than the ones I had already seen on his face. But I didn't turn around to find out. I only started walking, away from him, away from his words, away from that moment. Away from us.

* * *

He hadn't told Ino of our fall out. That was why I was only a bit surprised when I saw her name flash on my cell phone caller ID, her picture (she had forced me, ages ago, to take one while we were out shopping, because she couldn't _simply_ be a name on my phone) dazzling and almost as beautiful as she was. I stared at the vibrating, shrilling machinery of a phone in my hand for a few seconds, debated screening it, and flipped it open, drawling out a lazy "Hello?" that would have made _him_ proud. 

"_Temari-san! I'm glad I caught you_." There was fumbling in the background, a few muffled voices, a shriek that sounded an awful lot like Sakura, and the murmurs that made it obvious Hinata was there to appease the situation.

"Yeah. What'd you want?"

There was a slight pause and I could picture Ino's face: slightly wounded, a little taken aback, but still managing to smile as brilliantly as the sun can shine. "_Are you doing anything for New Years?_" The typical lilting voice. She was planning something evil and sinister that I was probably not going to be able to escape from.

"Yes."

"_Liar_."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"_I wanted to be polite about it._"

"Ha. Well?"

"_Want to come karaoke-ing with us?_"

"Not really, no."

"_Great! I'll see you tonight then!_" There was more muffled noises and I was already about to click when she strangled out a "Wait!" and made me pause.

"_Temari?_"

"Yes?"

"_Shika'll pick you up, okay? Be ready by eight!_"

She was gone before I could strangle some type of horrified noise from my throat.

* * *

The sound of a doorbell wrenched me from my perch on the genkan step, nearly making me trip on the slippers I had abandoned there almost an hour before. I stumbled and reached out to grab on to the doorknob, hauling it open, revealing a sulking Shikamaru on the other side. He didn't even glance at me, only swept his eyes to stare behind me, nodding at my brothers, who were seated in the living room and staring long and hard enough to make the door burst into flames. 

He was clad in a dark woolen coat, far too fashionable for him and probably chosen and paid for by the lovely Miss Ino. He was wearing a scar and dark pants I could faintly remember seeing in a fashion magazine I had probably read under Ino's supervision. He looked like he had stepped out of one the pages of the magazines—highly fashionable, the kind of guy every well-to-do girl would want to be arm-in-arm with.

"You ready?" He still wasn't looking at me. His eyes were glued to the floor. I was tempted to ask him if the cracks were more interesting than staring at me and facing me.

"Yeah." I leaned down, retrieving my fallen purse and throwing it over my shoulder. "Let's go."

I didn't say goodbye to my brothers as I stepped through the threshold, leaving them behind. I could hear Kankurou laughing before, "Oi, I want her back by three in the morning and without any hickeys or suggestive marks, 'kay kid?"

I slammed the door just as Shikamaru stepped through. He finally did meet my eyes, only to glare at me and give me the whole "I-fucking-hate-you-why-am-I-here?" kind of thing.

"I'm not anymore ecstatic than you are," I assured him, walking ahead and pressing the button for the elevator. I felt weird around him. Skittish. I was suddenly regretting my choice of wardrobe: short skirt that if it were any shorter, I'd be revealing my underwear and half my ass, a large turtleneck that looked like it had swallowed me alive, a pea slash trench coat thing I had seen on a Korean model on one of my favorite shopping sites (why yes, I do enjoy shopping, thank you very much) stockings, and boots. I suddenly felt like a whore.

"Great. I'm glad we have that settled."

There was silence once again just as the elevator arrived and the doors slid open to allow us inside. I stepped in quickly, punching the Lobby button and barely waiting for him to drag his ass in. As the door slid shut behind him, I slumped in one corner, trying to keep away from him, noting how he made a "tch" sound and looked up to glare at the ceiling lights.

Once we were outside, walking in the crisp cold, he took it upon himself to make sure there was at least a couple of feet separating us. I wanted to yell at him and make him know that I wasn't purposely going to try to get close to him but figured staying shut and prolonging the deafening silence was better.

Near the station, a gleeful little laugh made me aware that Ino was somewhere in the vicinity. A few moments later, I felt arms drape on my shoulders and pull me into a backwards hug, one that threatened to choke my breaths away. I turned around and gave Ino a proper greeting.

"So, ready to go to the karaoke box?"

I wet my lips as I watched Ino waltz up to Shikamaru, pulling him towards her and hooking her arm around his. She leaned into him, and I felt something odd and incredibly foreign rise up within me, threatening to spill out. A feeling almost as weird and distant as the one I felt around Shikamaru.

Was this… was this jealousy?

No. Absolutely ridiculous.

I was incapable of feeling jealous. I didn't even know I had the word in my vocabulary list. Hell, I didn't eve know I knew the definition of the word.

So why was I feeling incredibly tempted to sucker punch that blonde girl into oblivion?

This was worse than my Sasuke moments, fucking hell.

Ignoring the two, I began walking up the stairs. I might as well do something productive as the two wrapped up in each other and did what best friends weren't supposed to do.

"Do you like singing, Temari-san?"

"No."

Suddenly, Ino was hooking her arm with mine, having abandoned Shikamaru somewhere behind us. "Why not? Not any good?"

I frowned and looked away. I caught a glimpse of a street lamp glittering in the distance. "Nope. I hold no musical talent whatsoever."

"Don't worry! I'm sure Shika-kun won't mind singing with you. Right?"

I heard him grumble more than form any coherent, intelligible words.

"Good boy. See? All done. Now you can both be embarrassed. Together."

I chanced a look at her. She was smiling brightly, eyes crinkled so I couldn't see her bright blue pupils. Her long, tapered fingers were clenching the fabric of my coat with eagerness, and I was sure she was only smiling so brightly so I wouldn't be able to figure out what she was really doing. She was being far too joyous about all this. I was immediately suspicious.

When we finally reached the place (a very tall building with glowing orange lights and so many logos I was sure I was going to have a seizure with all the flashing off and on it did), Ino let me go and glided inside, leaving Shikamaru and me in her wake. We followed her grumpily, avoiding any eye contact, making sure to keep away from each other.

Inside, she led us to a room where the others were waiting. There was the Kiba boy. There was Sakura, fighting with a very grumpy looking Sasuke who was arguing with a very cranky looking Naruto, who was arguing with a very happy-and-gay looking Sai who was currently holding the microphone far too close to his mouth for comfort. Hinata was sitting sandwiched between Kiba and another guy (why was he wearing sunglasses indoors?) while Tenten smiled along like an idiot and gripped Neji's neck in a vice hold as she mumbled something probably threatening and gory, enough to make him look something akin to being happy to be there.

"They're here!" Ino's smile slipped for a moment as she glared at Sakura. "Get your filthy little paws off my man bitch, Forehead!"

Chouji, who was in a corner munching on expensive chips, grinned and greeted Shikamaru with a wave of a potato chip. "Oi. You're here."

Shikamaru nodded eagerly and immediately abandoned me, making a beeline towards his friend, not bothering to give me another glance. Ino was already attacking Sakura ("You whore!" "What are you talking about?" "Give me my Sasuke back!") and Hinata looked torn between wanting to stop them and trying to keep herself out of any attention seeking circle.

I opted for sitting at the other end, away from the rowdy group. Several minutes later, everything seemed to die down, and Ino finally took note that I had almost disappeared into the background wallpaper of horrible gray.

"Temari-san! You should sing! Here, I'll choose a song for you. Shikamaru? Come here."

I loved how Ino could sound so easily adorable and innocent but really be spitting orders like a dictator.

Shikamaru ambled over to her, and for a moment, he lifted his gaze to look at me. I tried to pretend I hadn't noticed, staring at the flat screen television plastered onto the wall with such intensity I felt the lights were burning my cornea slowly. When he finally looked away, I sighed in relief. This was way too weird. I hated this feeling. It was awkward and suffocating and god, I hated it.

"Here we are!" Ino squealed in triumph and punched a few numbers on the controller before handing Shikamaru and microphone and leaning over to hand me the spare. "Enjoy!"

The lyrics slowly trickled onto the screen. An English song. One I didn't recognize at all. The instrumental went on for a few seconds, and I got the hang of the rhythm. I was lying when I said I couldn't sing. I was actually quite decent. It was one of the few private lessons I had excelled and enjoyed at when Father-dearest had forced me into private tutoring.

The song started and I dutifully sang along. The music was set a note higher, and I did my best to reach it, still cracking at the ends. And then…

"Laid back with ya sexy smile  
When ya move your body you just drive me wild.  
If ya feeling me, baby let me know.  
Because I want you, I want you."

Dear lord above and all that was holy, I was going to kill Ino with my bare hands.

Shikamaru stared at the words with a twisted look on his face before uttering them in a confident voice,

"But I've changed  
Only got eyes for her.  
Believe me, ain't no cloud dividin' us.  
We could maybe elope, have a baby an' all  
Cause I don't wanna be a lazy ass no more."

And suddenly, it was a chorus part together, and my heart was beating painfully against my rib cage, and I wanted to stab it with the microphone, or perhaps gouge my eyes out, or anything at all to keep whatever was taking over me at bay.

"So smooth, love the way you walk.

I just love to hear it when you talk the talk.

So if you're feeling me, baby let me know.

Because I love you, I love you."

I threw down the microphone, staring at the flashing screen before me in horror. What was happening to me? I wasn't too sure. But I needed to get away. From them. From the karaoke. From the song. From him.

"Temari?"

His voice. It was so close. I turned my head to see him reaching across, trying to pull me. I jerked away violently and sped from the room, ignoring Ino's scream ("Temari-san!") as I ran towards the bathroom. I felt something odd prickling at my eyelids. I felt awful. I wasn't familiar with this. I hated it.

I stuck my head under the faucet of the sink in the bathroom and turned it on, gushing and spluttering as cold water rushed up my nose. Lifting my head, I ran my hands through the dark, wet blonde locks that were falling into my face, completely ignoring the fact I now looked like a major psycho. I heard the door of the bathroom being pushed open and didn't bother to look.

"…Hey."

I turned to look, watching as Shikamaru stepped fully into the bathroom, ignoring the sign tacked on the door that read WOMEN. He took a step closer as I took a step back.

"Are you okay?"

"Apparently not," I snapped, rubbing at my neck. This was so uncomfortable. I didn't want him to look at me like this but I couldn't bring myself to turn away.

"…What… happened?"

"I hate singing," I grumbled darkly, and once more turned on the water and stuck my head under the stream.

"You're actually pretty good."

"Just shut up."

"What did I do now?"

I stiffened. I reached up and turned the knob, effectively turning the stream off. I lifted my head, blinking as water droplets clung to my eyelashes. I didn't bother to rub them away.

"What did you do now? God, what _haven't_ you done?"

He shuffled around nervously, blinked away in confusion. "What?"

"This is stupid. Absurd. Ridiculous."

"Is it really?"

His voice sounded far closer than it had a few seconds ago. I looked up. He seemed closer, but only by a few feet. Nothing to fret over. So why was my heart being so painfully stupid?

"Yeah. Yeah. Ridiculous. Utterly fucking ridiculous."

"Temari."

I looked up at him, tearing my eyes away from staring at my hands playing nervously with each other. He was much closer now. I hadn't been imaging things. I gulped. Why was this so awkward? Hell, why did this seem so fucking familiar?

"Yeah?"

He leaned in closer. Breathed against my mouth.

I squinted at him. Narrowed my eyes. Inched my face a little closer. "You gonna kiss me now?"

He nodded, and I felt his hair hit me gently on my nose. "Yeah.

"Okay."

He closed the distance. Pressed his lips against mine.

This time, I didn't pull away.

There was some distant cheering in the background, the sound of fireworks and firecrackers going off.

He pulled away slightly, a genuine smile pulling at his lips.

"Happy New Years," he whispered, lips moving against my own.

I didn't bother to answer. Only closed the distance between us once more.

* * *

**AN: EY YO, BABIES! I'm back. With the rest of the Christmas event as well as the New Year event. Holy shit. Am I not awesome?**

**NOPE. NOT IN COMPARISON TO YOU GUYS.**

**So there. Merry Christmas, hos. Review and leave me nice presents.**

**And yes. That song _was_ "I Want You" by Fat Joe and Thalia, but I wanted to make it more appropriate for them, so i mangled it and turned it into one of my own horrible creations.**

**Funny, right?**

**-is made of utter failure-**


	13. xiii

_If you're on your way  
I'm not gonna write you to stay  
If all you have is leavin'  
I'm gonna need a better reason  
To write you a love song  
Today_  
--**Love Song, Sara Bareilles **

* * *

Chapter XIII**  
The Truth about Forever**

"So? What happened?"

I stiffened in shock and slowly turned to face Ino, who was peering into my face eagerly with that knowing smile on her face, the smile that told me she probably knew more than she let on. It usually reminded me of my own smirk, the one I used on everyone when they chose to underestimate me and my intelligence.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

Chouji's loud munching in my ear nearly made me jump. "Got a big grin on your face since you came back from having chased Temari-san to the bathroom. And you guys were together for an awfully long time. Missed the fireworks and everything."

"What happened?" Claws dug into my forearm, even through my coat, courtesy of Ino. "Tell me!"

I tried to shake her off but she only clung tighter, recently manicured acrylic nails feeling like they were going to start tearing little pieces of my skin off. "Nothing. Happened." I enunciated the words perfectly and completely, and hoped she got the point. I usually didn't make an effort to make sure my words didn't slur together.

She didn't.

"I'm not going to believe that," she declared, eyes boring a hole into my temple. Fortunately, she did remove her hands and let me stagger away. "Even Temari looked flushed. And she left running home. By herself. And you didn't even bother to stop her and spew your whole women and men crap you usually say."

Well damn, if I'd known I was being watched carefully for any out-of-character-ness on my part, I would have been more careful to make sure I pissed Temari off.

"Nothing happened," I told Ino once more, trying to avoid her questions and avoid her by drifting away from them and walking quicker, eager to get the girl home and away from me. Chouji didn't really seem to care as he mulled over his chips, but I could feel his narrowed eyes watching me carefully, probably as analytical (if not more) as Ino.

"Shikamaru."

I stopped dead in my tracks and slowly turned, cocking my head to the side and giving Chouji my most bored look.

"You kissed her, didn't you?"

"You_ what_?!"

I growled at them. "No."

Chouji smiled triumphantly, noting my discomfort. "You did."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ino's mouth gaped wide and open. "Oh my goodness, _you did_!"

I shook my head. What the hell? Was this suddenly 'Let's-Torture-Shikamaru-the-Best-We-Can-Day'? What a great fucking way to start off the damn year.

If I had known all of this would happen because of one (two… three… a whole lot) kiss, I would have kept my lips to myself and left that stupid, bitchy woman in the goddamn bathroom by her goddamn self.

…

Okay. So I was lying. I probably would have still chased after her. But I wouldn't have kissed her.

Well, I would have had far more control if she didn't look the way she did. Look so defeated but still trying to stand tall, locks of damp hair clinging to her sun-kissed skin, eyes wide and water clinging to her lashes. If my heart didn't beat so annoyingly fast when she was near, and if my palms didn't get all clammy and sweaty every time I saw her, then I would have definitely not kissed her. Of course. Naturally.

"I didn't," I tried again, but to no avail. Ino had already gone off ahead of us, screaming "Oh my gosh, I can't believe this!" while Chouji smirked knowingly and handed me his potato chip bag.

The last chip.

I hated them all.

* * *

When I finally got home, I was greeted by my howling hag of a mother and my sleeping father, who had a beer can resting carefully on his stomach as he was sprawled on the couch. 

"Nara Shikamaru!"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, yeah, I'm home."

My mother frowned and waved her hand in my face, and I could tell that even though she looked angry, she was more worried than that. "What time is it?"

I checked the clock nailed to the wall. "Four in the morning."

She nodded, and next thing I knew, she was pulling my ear, leading me deeper into the house, not even bothering to let me remove my shoes. "Wonderful, my son can _read a clock_. Can you tell me if my son can _call his mother and tell her the time he will be home_?"

I sighed. An argument. For the new year. This was definitely not going to work out well. "Mom—"

"Don't 'mom' me, mister! It's four in the morning. Do you know how worried sick I was? You don't know who can be outside at this time! Rapists, murderers, psychos, serial killers, crazy doctors, prostitutes—"

"Mom."

"—Thugs, drug dealers, rapists—"

"You said that one already," I told her, voice monotone.

"I'm reiterating."

My dad had woken up, probably due to Mom's loud voice. He sat up from his nap, rubbing at his eyes, downing the last of his beer in one gulp before placing the can carefully on the table (on a coaster, of course). He observed the scene carefully before smirking.

"My son spent New Years with a lady," he said, winking.

Mom gasped. And then smacked me upside the head.

"Ow!"

"You had _sex_?"

"Mom, no! Pops, you're making things worse."

He shrugged. "You're gonna deny you were with a girl?"

I glared at him before answering, "I was with Ino, yeah. And Sakura and Hinata and Tenten and Temari-san—"

"The girl you show around town?" Mom's voice.

I nodded.

My father's smirk widened. "So _that's_ the lucky lady."

I groaned. Mom smacked my head again.

"You're sleeping with a girl _older_ than you?"

"I didn't sleep with her!"

"My son is having sex at fifteen, oh what has the world come to?"

"Mom, I'm sixteen."

"Oh, so you _are_ having sex?" The narrowed eyes told me my mother had only confused my age to try and get me.

"No."

"He only kissed her, dear," Pops said, sighing exaggeratedly before hauling himself up.

Mom's incredulous gasp. "_You kissed her_?"

"You make that sound worse than having sex," I told her, not bothering to care whether it was going to earn me another pull or a mouthful of soap.

This was getting blown out of total proportion. It wasn't even like I _liked_ Temari.

Okay. Another lie. I was lying a lot already.

Not a good way to start the year, I was sure.

Thing was, I didn't know how to deal with liking someone. Liking a girl, for that matter. I didn't like most people, and I definitely didn't like women. They were always… women-y. Complaining or bitching or doing something unnecessary and troublesome and all around annoying. But then there was Temari. Temari. A girl from a completely different country with completely different ways of working. She didn't look like the other girls. Didn't act like them. She could have probably killed me by crushing my head in with her thighs. She was independent, dangerous, and beautiful.

Shit.

"I'm going to bed," I said, and Mom let me go, staring at me curiously.

"Night, son."

I nodded.

In my room, I didn't bother to go into my bathroom and brush my teeth. I didn't bother to strip out of my clothes as I threw myself into bed, burrowing my head under my pillow and into my mattress. I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to claim me, subconsciously wishing to still feel her lips pressed against mine, soft and giving, tasting like spices and danger.

* * *

I avoided her. 

Like I would the Bubonic plague, Influenza, small pox, SARS, bird flu. I could barely look at her, let alone be in the same room with her. Every class I had with her, I was the last one in and the first one out. Participation was out of the question. Group work was immediately avoided by feigning sleep and allowing to get sent to the office, where I would detour and not return till the end of the period. Lunch was taboo, as I knew Ino and Tenten and all the other girls, who all the other _boys_ would sit with, would insist she join us. I ate outside, in the cold.

Who knew why I avoided her? I sure didn't. I racked my brain for reasons, coming up incredibly short. There were reasons like avoiding speaking about the incident, avoiding messy complications like having to ask her out. But I knew they were all only part of the real, big, large, humongous reason why I kept from meeting her gaze or accidentally bumping into her in the hallways. However, that reason eluded me.

I don't know what compelled me to wake up so early, or get to school so early, skipping breakfast and ignoring the hag's screams that I better not be eating any of that junk they sell in convenience stores this early in the morning, or she'd have my head. I was only faintly aware as I made my way to school, my legs having memorized the path a long time ago, leaving my mind free to wander wherever it wanted to go, though lately, it only strayed down the same path that often ended with me thinking of a girl who was far more annoying than I had ever given the female species credit for.

It was in the school courtyard that I saw her. She was sitting on the steps; chin in hand, billowy sandy hair in a piled mass on her head, she looked more like a college student rather than a high school student. Especially with the open book in her lap, the fingers of her free hand playing idly with the corners of the worn pages.

She spotted me and straightened, teal eyes staring intently as I crossed the rest of the way and landed on a step above her. She didn't turn around to look at me for a long time, allowing me to let my eyes rest on the back of her neck, tan and smooth and tempting to touch.

When she finally angled her body towards me, I stiffened, suddenly acutely aware that this was the first time we had seen each other face to face since New Years. The memory was still fresh in my mind, and apparently, my over thinking brain had provided new and exaggerated details to add to the scene, making it that much more enticing and hard to forget. And as she regarded me with a careful blank expression, I couldn't help it but let my eyes gravitate towards her lips, pink and the bottom lip pulled between her teeth.

Before long, the lines of her face were set, and her eyes were fierce. I didn't bother to hide my grimace as she leaned forward, only an inch, before standing up and dropping her book into her open bag.

She took the steps down two at a time, landing on the ground with a jump, turning around fully to glower at me.

"You're skipping school," she declared, and it took me off guard that her voice sounded so… so perfect. So much how I remembered it and I hadn't the slightest clue why I would have imagined it to change.

Then it hit me.

"Wait, what?"

She placed a hand on her hip, cocking her head towards me, a small hint of a smile trying to pull her lips upward. "You're not going to school today."

I stared blankly. "No. I think I am."

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"I am not going to skip school."

She nodded, just once. "You are."

And much to my chagrin, though I should have expected it, because as much as I happened to be partial to anything she had to say, I wasn't up to arguing with anyone then, especially someone like her. So I scoffed, looked away, and pretended not to notice when I felt her hand clamp down on mine, slowly pulling me up, leading me down the steps.

At the bottom, she dropped my hand like it burned her, turning away, hiding her face from view.

"Let's go," she said into the air, and even though she wasn't looking at me, even though I couldn't see her eyes, I could tell this was going to change everything more than anything had before.

* * *

At first, she had been leading me down the path that had become familiar and easiest to reach her house from. After a few minutes, she paused, and since I had been trailing behind her, caused me to almost crash into her as she debated with herself. A few seconds later, she went back down the way we'd come, and I realized she wasn't in any mood to let me in her house. 

Fair enough. I had ignored her. But to be honest, she'd been ignoring me pretty well herself.

Who knows how long we walked. All I was aware of was that she was taking me somewhere, and that I couldn't exactly devise any strategies in escaping. Well, I was sure I could, and I had plenty flitting around in my brain, trying to force me into action, but that didn't necessarily mean my body was all too eager to comply. In fact, it seemed ready to do anything _but_ leave.

Finally, she stopped. We were standing on a rather populated street, being pushed to the side as people rushed back and forth, yammering away on cell phones, giving us odd glares as the sun beat down on us, oddly warm for such a winter day. She stood near the entrance of a café, just opening for business, a pretty old clock handing from an extended bar that displayed that it was now nine in the morning. A worker, who was busy sweeping the front sidewalk, glanced up to look at us, curious smile on her face, before nodding along as Temari asked her something quietly.

She turned back to look at me, teal eyes dark with repressed anger. "C'mon."

I hesitated, watching her as she took a few steps toward the café, right foot lingering on the threshold, the dim lighting from inside covering half her face in shadows. It was an odd play on her skin, so tan and meant for the sun that the dark of the shadows looked strange and unfitting. Like she didn't belong, half cloistered in darkness.

Once more, she was looking at me. "Come. On."

I released a slow, steady breath as I followed behind her, trying to avoid looking at the strange lady who was now smiling widely, blue eyes glittering as she followed behind us, shutting the door as it tinkled.

"Sit down, I'll bring you some menus," she told us, waving a dainty hand at one of the two-seat tables, bowing her head slightly at Temari-san, who was already dumping her things on the floor. She shrugged out of her coat, stretched, and plopped down in the seat, staring at me with her beautiful (—wait, what?) eyes.

"Do you need to talk to me about something?" I asked her, sitting on the edge of the chair so that if I had to spring into action (like run for the door to escape her), I could do so without wasting much time.

Strategic thinking. That was the way to go.

She scoffed, a harsh sound filling the air, and it made me flinch. "Ha. Obviously." She leaned forward, eyes smoldering. "Don't act like you don't know what we're here for."

I let a smile creep onto my face, knowing it would irritate her. I watched with satisfaction as she stiffened and immediately drew back, hands clenching the table, knuckles turning white. "Like… a date?"

The word had the desired effect, draining most of the color from her face as her mouth opened slightly. "W-what?"

"So, is this like a _date_?"

"Stop being an idiot."

"Ah, so it isn't."

She snarled at me, one corner of her lips pulling upwards in a way meant to scare me. "Stop being such an idiot."

She seemed to be calling me that a lot, lately.

The lady waltzed towards us, carefully setting down the menus on the table, smile still in place on her broad, pale face. "Tell me when you're ready to order, loves."

Temari nodded curtly. "Thank you."

I didn't say anything. I was too busy staring at Temari to care.

"So?" I took my menu, briefly glanced at it, decided I didn't really care what I ordered as long as it was warm and wouldn't distract me too much from focusing on figuring this girl in front of me out. "What is it?"

She visibly tensed, hands curled around the menu tightly, holding the block where the drinks and pastries were etched out on in front of her face, blocking me from view. She lowered it slowly, eyes not meeting mine, glaring at the iron-wrought table for quite a while before actually meeting my gaze. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the damnable lady returned, took our orders, and silenced Temari long enough, until the lady returned with our drinks. A macchiato for Temari, tea for me.

When the lady had skipped away again, Temari's eyes landed on mine again. She seemed unsure of what to say, unsure of herself, fingers playing idly with the curve of her mug, tracing the lines and form of the handle carefully with the pad of her index finger. Finally, she seemed ready to speak.

"…About… that night."

And then I understood. So perfectly. So obviously. It was right there, and I had been trying to avoid _that_ more than I was trying to avoid _her._

It made so much sense. It wasn't that I didn't want to speak to her, or that I didn't want to look at her; it was the very opposite. I was in such a state, wanting to constantly hear her low, rough voice that it brought me pain. But what bothered me the most, perhaps barred me and kept me from seeking her out or attempting to even make any more contact with her than our eyes meeting, was the fact that the night would be brought up. That I would discover that whatever it was I felt for her—and I could barely deny it now, let alone try to mask it for something else—was felt _only_ by me. She was two years my senior, beautiful, destructive, impatient, striving for a better life. A life away from the one she lived. A life that would eventually lead away from me.

"I get it," I ground out, and my tone was probably harsh enough that her head snapped up to give her eyes access to look at me, to glare at me, to watch me intensely. "It didn't mean anything."

Her eyes, which had been widening, suddenly narrowed dangerously. "_What_?" she intoned.

"It. Didn't. Mean. Anything." I didn't really _get_ why I was so angry. I just was. The sudden realization that she didn't want me was enough to make me irritated. Enough to make me want to get away from her and everything around us. But really, mostly, to get away from her.

Her eyes were still narrowed, but I saw something flit across them, though I wasn't sure what emotion that was, not that I cared. Not anymore. Her tongue darted out, traced her lips, as if stalling for time, trying to figure out what to say. "It didn't mean… anything?" she repeated dumbly, and I was struck with just how sincerely confused she sounded. But it was all an act. I was sure of it.

"Yeah. Nothing."

Suddenly, her eyes flashed dangerously, and she was angry. She slammed her mug down, making the liquid inside slosh and spill onto the table. Scraping her chair across the floor as she moved back, she placed a few bills on the table, not meeting my gaze.

"I guess we're done here," she said, though her voice sounded distant, carefully detached. Like it wasn't really her. But I couldn't be bothered.

I shrugged. "I guess so."

I watched her stalk out, barely acknowledging the lady as she bowed her head deeply. The lady turned on me, eyes sorrowful, her hands gathered before her.

"Silly boy," she said to me, shaking her head sadly. "You've just broken her heart."

* * *

**AN: Muahahaha. Guess who's back? (Back again?) Shady's back--**

**Hmm. Well. Alright. Moving along.**

**And there seems to be some confusion. I _DID NOT_ draw anything for this story. Any fanart that has been made is definitely NOT mine. I can't draw to save my life. The only fanart for this story so far has been drawn by DARKGAL69 and JYUEN7 on deviantART. So yeah. I'm not sure whether or not to put up Jyuen7's fanart, because she said it would be colored, so... I don't know if she wants me to put up the lineart or the finished project. So you'll all have to wait for it, or get curious and go on dA to look for it. It's really great. I love it. Just like I love Darkgal's fanart. BOTH of them. Thanks so muuuuch  
**

**This chapter was an absolute torture. I mean, I was so stuck that I felt like bashing my head through a wall, though that could have been this horrible headache I've been having for a while. And if that weren't enough, I've been so fixated on Twilight and the rest of the books in the series that I feel like my addiction to ShikaTema has slowly dwindled down. I'm becoming incredibly intent on reading and writing about Bella and Edward, and it's making me ANGRY. Bella and Edward are hot and everything, but ShikaTema is just... _bursting_ with like, sexual tension and hot chemistry.**

**So, I will go on with writing ANFBSSS. Hopefully, the next chapter, and the chapter after that, and all the following chapters won't be so hard to actually sit through. And once I _do_ finish with ANFBSSS, I'll start on my not-so-wonderful idea for Twilight. Which, to be honest, has totally stole my life. It just ate my SOUL.-giggle-**

**Anyway. That's it for my annoyingly long Author's Note that had no point or anything.**

**But, I guess I should say that there _will_ be more drama. There _will_ be more problems. Love isn't easy, especially when it comes to Shikamaru and Temari.  
**

* * *


	14. xiv

_I hope you know, I hope you know  
That this has nothing to do with you.  
It's personal; myself and I  
We have some straightening out to do.  
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket  
But I have to get a move on with my life  
It's time to be a big girl now  
And big girls don't cry._  
--**Big Girls Don't Cry, Fergie**

* * *

Chapter XIV**  
Of Clichés and Dreaded Curses**

You know, people always describe broken hearts as the worse pain imaginable. That it hurts so much you become numb, you feel like the world is falling beneath your feet, that you're falling through an endless void, no ground in sight. That the world loses meaning. You find yourself unable to continue as the same person. Something about losing your heart and the will to survive.

It wasn't like that for me.

It hurt. The moment I stepped out of the shop, I felt like the world was crashing on me, was pulling me into it rather than pulling away. My heart beat too quickly, and I was painfully aware that I was feeling everything a million times more. The world beneath my feet slipped for only a few seconds, before I came tumbling down, crashing desperately against a ground that came up to meet too fast. It was all in a span of maybe three minutes, and when I finally opened my eyes, finally breathed without feeling my chest constrict painfully and threaten to expel any breath I was taking, I realized that I_couldn't_ admit defeat. That if I was strong enough to endure the unbearable pain of whatever _this_ was for three minutes, I could endure it for another, and another, and another.

I walked home and did my homework. I listened to some music, polished the fans I collected, cleaned my room. I slept, and woke up the next morning for school, wrote all my notes for class, and returned home. I finished my homework, made something akin to pasta for Baki-san and me, and took a shower, heading for sleep. The week passed by without incident, following a similar routine. The next week went by much the same way. And so the months trickled by, and I was still Temari, and even though my heart ached every time I saw him, though my chest did this horrible thing where I could barely get enough oxygen into my system every time someone mention his name, even though Ino did her best to bring us together for lunch, or for a movie on Saturday, I was fine. As fine as someone in my situation could be.

This wasn't the end of the world. It was simply a situation in my life. In a matter of years, it would be forgotten, or replaced. It wasn't going to last forever. Nothing lasted forever.

Only a few weeks were left before graduation. Unlike Suna Academy, graduation didn't come with a "prom" in Konoha Prep. While Suna Academy was filthy rich (almost every student there came from an important family, and those who didn't were there with loans or scholarships), it didn't find it very necessary to humor all the students by providing a party big enough to host them all that would cost them quite a load of money. That's how the prom was first established. Purely for the seniors and their dates, everyone else be damned.

Konoha Prep was, perhaps, just as rich as Suna Academy, but not nearly as stuck up or greedy. Graduation came with a party to hold the entire student body, plus staff, and senior's dates. It was this big party that rivaled any and all other parties, anywhere in the world, as I was later informed by another senior in my calculus class.

Standing at one end of the train (my car was in the shop for something that had been leaking), I was going over my To Do list. The university exams were done, and I had only to wait for my acceptance letter to the most prestigious college anywhere in the world. And while anyone else who planned to apply would have thirteen other safety schools, I knew perfectly well that I would get in regardless, for my father's stature in society was rather high up. High enough to get me anything, though I didn't want to use this to my advantage, and was the sole reason I bothered to study for the exam at all.

I was thinking about dresses when I felt it. A hand, slowly tracing along the curve of my thigh. I stiffened at the sudden pressure, eyes narrowing as I tried to find the perpetrator. As much as I wanted to kill a bitch, I couldn't get the wrong person.

I met the dark brown orbs of a typical Konoha male, a large, devious smile in place. I felt another hand make its way along the flat of my abdomen to my breast.

"What do you think you're doing?" I said, not at all in the mood for this kind of treatment. I'd heard the stories of it happening before, but never really thought it would happen to me.

"Shh," he said, leaning in, aiming his lips for mine. "Just enjoy it."

Before I could say a thing (or, better yet, punch the guy right in the throat), a hand clamped down on his shoulder and pulled him back and away from me, arms falling to his sides. He was turned around roughly and, just as the guy's head whipped around, I caught sight of a familiar pineapple-shaped ponytail defying logic.

"You know, it isn't very nice to touch girls like that, especially when its unwilling," he told the guy slowly, his usually monotone, drawling voice suddenly sharp and clear.

I frowned. "I can defend myself pretty fucking well."

He didn't respond to me, though his eyes did snap up to meet mine. He directed his voice towards the guy as he said, "You should get off the train before I decide to strangle you."

I hissed. I didn't need _anyone_, let alone a lazy bastard like_him_, to defend me or fight for me or anything. Chances were I would have an easier time beating the crap out of the guy than _he_ would. "Look, kid, let him go. I can fucking fight him myself."

Shikamaru let him go, the guy stumbling away, eyes frantic as he stared between us. "Why can't you just shut up?"

"Why can't you just leave me the fuck alone?" I glared for a moment before turning back to the guy, reaching over and grabbing his hands, placing them back where they had last been. He seemed just as surprised as Shikamaru did, eyes widening so much they looked ready to pop out. A second later, and I raised my fist to knock him in the jaw.

He sputtered. "What the hell?"

I ignored him, turning back to Shikamaru. "See? I can fucking fight on my own and definitely don't need _your_ help."

He glared right back, arms crossing in front of his chest. Everyone in the train was staring now, clearing a spot away from us. "You're so damn stubborn and troublesome. I was trying to help you."

"I don't need _your_ help," I muttered darkly.

His arm shot out, grabbing the offender by the collar as the guy tried to escape. "I don't think so."

I growled at him. "Let him go so I can beat him up on my own."

"No. A guy does the fighting. You're supposed to stand there defenseless and screaming."

"You_asshole_!" I grabbed the guys arm, trying to pull him away from Shikamaru. "What'd I say about being able to defend myself?"

"Look, you guys! I'll turn myself to the police!" the guy pleaded, trying to wrench himself away from our respective grips. "Just… leave me alone!"

I pulled harder, glaring all the while into Shikamaru's nearly black eyes. "Let. Him. Go."

"No. You let him go."

"What the hell is your problem?" I pulled once more, smirking in triumph as he stumbled forward slightly. "Weren't you too busy ignoring my damn existence?"

He narrowed his small eyes at me, lip curling to reveal his teeth. "I could say the very same thing to you, _Temari_."

I stiffened at the sound of my name. It always came as a surprise to me when he decided to use it. It always sounded rather awkward when his mouth formed the sounds, when it rolled off his tongue. Like he didn't have the right to mention it, but sounding perfect when he did.

"Let him go, Temari. Let me take care of him."

"Why the hell should I?" I fastened my grip, tightening it, the guy howling by now. "Why do you even care?"

He seemed shocked at the question, allowing his grip to lax. I took the opportunity to pull as hard as I could, the guy stumbling into me. I pushed him off, not bothering to watch as he fell to the floor of the train. "Oh, hit a nerve, did I?"

"What, do _you_ care if I care?" he snapped, face white.

I sucked in a breath. Did I? The pain in my chest, that had started the moment I caught sight of him, was starting to become unidentifiable. Maybe this was the point in time where things went numb. Where feeling ceased to exist and the only thing I would be aware of is the rejection and heartbreak.

"C-can I go now?"

At the same exact time, Shikamaru and I both looked down to glare at the guy, "No!"

I looked at him just as he looked at me. I felt my heart painfully throb against my rib cage.

The doors of the train opened. The voice over the loud speaker made everyone jump, and I then noticed every Konoha Prep student was slowly making their way out of the car. I pushed stepped over the guy while pushing past Shikamaru, not at all wanting to meet his eyes.

He was at my side in seconds, easily keeping up with my pace, his long legs matching my strides. "So we're back to pretending we don't exist to each other?"

I shot him a dirty look. "That's right. Now if you don't mind." I sped up.

He didn't seemed bothered. "We'll have to talk this over eventually."

"Oh really? You mean, like the last time we talked things over?"

He sucked his teeth; an immature sound I never thought I'd hear from him. "You're being incredibly uncooperative today."

"And you're being incredibly _troublesome_. Now go away."

"I'll walk you to school."

"Don't need you to."

"Look." He stopped in front of me, causing me to take a few steps back in surprise. He was tall. I hadn't realized he was until that moment. Did he go through a growth spurt I hadn't been aware of? "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for me. Because I'd rather make sure you get to school safely without any pervert on your tail. I know perfectly well you can defend yourself, but for _my_ sake, let me make sure you get through the doors without anyone grabbing your tit."

I wanted to respond. Badly. But I had no idea what to say in response._Why should you care? Why do you bother? I can defend myself. Go away. Drown in a pool of acid. Get punched in the throat. Do _you_ want to grab my tit? Can't stand competition? I hate you, go away_.

Yet the sound didn't come out, and I could only stare at him as he began walking, pausing a few feet away from me, muttering out a, "Hurry up" to get me to follow.

I didn't give him the satisfaction. I simply turned on my heels and walked away, ignoring the pang in my chest, the emptiness I was falling into, the lack of a ground to come up and stop me.

* * *

I walked into homeroom late, expecting to find everyone already in their seats, staring at the clock and counting down the seconds before our teacher came in, but was instead greeted by the sight of overly-ecstatic students sharing chocolates and smiling shyly at each other and being all lovey-dovey and— 

Oh. No.

I ran to the teacher's desk, eyes scanning the surface until they fell on the calendar. I groaned in horror as I saw the circled date.

February 14.

Valentine's.

I knew enough about Western holidays to know that Valentine's was the worst of the lot. Christmas, I could deal with. Gifts were nice. New Year's was a tradition everywhere. Things like Thanksgiving (when my father had brought home his American secretary, we were all forced to partake in the holiday celebration, consuming large amounts of turkey and apple pie) I could handle. But Valentine's? Definitely not my cup of tea. In fact, it was not my brand of tea, nor my favorite cup, and didn't have any sugar. It was the worst cup of tea in the world. If I could kill tea, that would be the first tea to go.

When I realized I had about a minute left to get to my seat, I sighed in defeat and made my way there. As I passed by the rows of desks, my eyes stopped on one, stiffening as the sight of the overflowing candy and chocolates he had received.

Shikamaru.

He looked up to watch me, cocking his head to the side, as if inviting me closer. He had arrived to school perfectly in time, of course. Asshole.

The door opened. I turned away and sat down, just as our teacher came through.

Professor Asuma was always the cool guy. Cooler than Kakashi, who was always late and trying to come up with excuses. Professor Asuma didn't try. He let things come as they did.

"Hey everyone," he greeted us. He was holding a large box of chocolates that he placed carefully on his desk. "How's everyone doing this morning?"

"Asuma-sensei," a girl called. I could see her leaning forward on her desk, curious smile on her face. "Are those from Kurenai-sensei?"

He smirked at her. Taking the box, he started opening it, untangling the red ribbon that glittered faintly in the sun that streamed in through the open windows. He popped the lid open, stared at the candy inside, and took out, throwing it into his open mouth. "That's right."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Tch. Typical."

Professor Asuma raised an eyebrow in question and pointed a finger at him. "You shouldn't be talking, mister. Look at all the chocolate you have there. Oh look, that one has a card." He leaned forward, plucked it from the box, opened it, and scanned the words.

Several things happened at once. About seven different girls blushed thirteen different types of red, Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up into, and Professor Asuma's eyes strayed to land on me.

"Temari…-san?"

My heart was suddenly beating an irregular rhythm, hammering sporadically against my chest. Shikamaru's hand shot forward, grabbing the card from his teacher's fingertips, his own eyes going back and forth rapidly as he soaked in the words that were written there, words I didn't know. Now the entire classroom was staring at me, and soon, Shikamaru's own gaze was centered on me as well.

There were two possible reasons for this. Someone had written him a love letter mentioning me, or someone had written him a love letter_pretending_ to be me.

He stood up, his eyes flashing angrily, though he didn't necessarily look angry at _me_. He stomped his way up the aisle till he stood directly in front of my desk. I was shocked into silence by the embarrassment that was sweeping through me as I realized that in only a matter of minutes, the bell would ring, and the story of how Shikamaru received a card with my name in it would reach all the ears of the entire school population without anyone having to try. The amount of rumors that would have developed by the end of the day would be so ridiculous that I probably wouldn't have to worry about leaving a legacy behind. The five minutes I had spent in the classroom that day would probably do more at spreading my name around the school than the past eight months had.

"Here," he snapped, throwing the envelope and card down onto my desk. It slid a few centimeters along the surface before stopping. "I thought you'd appreciate killing Ino more than I would."

Ino? How'd she get into this?

The feeling of dread crawled over me as my finger, shaking horribly, reached for the card that lay innocently on top of my desk. I'd never been this nervous, this humiliated, in my entire life, especially about something I had no idea was about. I hadn't the slightest clue what the person could have possibly said about me, or what they could have written. I could guess at the content, but wording could do so much in the end, and I was frightening to see just how badly my reputation had been ruined with a few phrases strung along on the empty space of a Valentine's card.

I turned the card over. I brought it closer to my face, eyes scanning the lines slowly, afraid I'd miss something. And as I continued to read, I could feel my fear and embarrassment slowly slip away, only to be replaced with the cold fury of discovering something that was far from pleasing.

It was sort of like discovering a rat had died. Inside the whirring machinery of your computer tower.

Exactly.

_Dear Shikamaru,_

_I know I act like I don't care about you, but the truth is that I'm in love with you. I've never felt this way about any boy before, which is why I act the way I do. Please, please accept my feelings!_

_Love, love, love,  
Sabaku no Temari_.

I ripped the card in half, then in half again, and continued to do so until I could not longer rip it. "She didn't even get my signature right."

Shikamaru didn't say anything for a while. And then, "So. Are you going to kill her, or am I?"

"Why are you so pissed about it? You're not the one whose name has been used erroneously." I was taking this surprisingly well. Probably because I had only read through the thing once and was still trying to work up the rage to strangle the skinny blonde.

I wondered how I would deal with the big one. Chouji. Direct attack or something stealthy?

He frowned. "So my feelings are to be completely ignored, huh?"

"What, you have feelings?" I snapped back, feeling like if I couldn't let Ino feel my wrath, someone might as well substitute for the moment. She was no where in sight, and she wouldn't be until lunch time. If I was going to bother to invoke the full potential of my anger, someone might as well be there to appreciate it in all its glory.

Besides, I hated him enough. He made me angry. And the fact he was being a little bitch about the entire situation was really helping in sparking the fire of anger that had been oddly out of place when I'd finished reading.

"I wouldn't think _you'd_ notice, of course."

What was that supposed to mean? I smirked, sarcasm dripping with every word as I spoke. "Of course not. I don't notice anything _you_ do." I was lying. Horribly. I noticed everything he did. I noticed everything he did away from _me_.

His own smirk was sarcastic, the light of it never reaching his eyes. Upon closer inspection, they were always never as dark as I perceived them to be. "Of course not. Are we done here?"

"Apparently, unless you have something else to insult me about? Perhaps, I don't know, the fact I kissed you even though you're two years my junior?"

He stiffened, and everyone around us gasped. Under any normal circumstances, I would probably have never mentioned it, if only because I couldn't possibly lower my standards and kiss a guy like him, but I realized there that he would be more horrorstruck about what had transpired between us then I would. That alone was enough to place the shame that slowly crept along my skin as the last of my worries.

A second later, he was rolling his eyes, shifting his weight to one foot, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You? Kiss me? If I remember correctly, I'm the one who has been doing all the kissing."

Another ripple of gasps. I could feel the blood in my body begin to boil, and a strange urge of hiding my face bloomed. I knew I was blushing. I didn't even know my body could perform the action, and there I was going through with it.

"You're not very good," I said lightly, hoping I could pull off the smile I allowed to grace my features.

He gritted his teeth in response. "I wish I could say the same about you, but you've obviously had a _lot_ more experience than I have."

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. If I ended up getting my hands around his neck in the middle of the classroom, no one would be able to save him.

Professor Asuma clapped his hands. "Break it up. Geez, this was practically a dorama special right here." He pointed an unlit cigarette at Shikamaru. "You mind going over to Kurenai's classroom and handing her this? She left her lesson plan at my house this morning."

"Asuma-sensei. That's gross." And he was gone before I could blink.

* * *

"Ino." 

The blonde turned to look at me, a dazzling smile on her face, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth. Hinata was standing beside her, looking as meek as anyone possibly could, and just as beautiful. It sort of irritated me how all these girls in Konoha managed to look extremely beautiful in ways that I could never achieve. Kankurou had mentioned it when he'd visited; I was a fierce beauty while the rest of them were delicate, the damsel-in-distress kind of beauty, the kind of beauty that made every man want them because they could defend them.

"Yes, Temari-san?" She seemed to have no idea I was ready to ram her pretty face into the locker rows behind her. She looked so carefree I wanted to smite her.

I took a steadying breath. It wouldn't do me any good to attack her right then and there. On the other hand… "What the _hell_ did you do?"

Her mind slipped off in a second. "What?" Her tone was far from confused; it was acidic and snappy.

"That was a really fucked up move, Ino. That card you gave Shikamaru, with_my_ name on it."

She sighed in exasperation, her sudden cattiness disappearing from the lines in her face, the skin smooth and perfectly flawless. "You should be thanking me for that, you know."

"Thanking you?!" And there went my temper. "_Thanking you_? You sent him something confessing my supposed 'feelings' and you want me to thank you? The whole entire school is talking shit about me and you want me to _thank you_?" I never knew my voice could grow so incredibly angry while still being in the normal speaking ranges of a human.

She winced slightly. "Hey, the rumors were started because _you_ decided to tell everyone about your business. If you hadn't mentioned the kiss—"

"To hell with the kiss, Ino! What you did was fucking uncalled for!"

Hinata was trembling, looking between the both of us. "G-guys—"

"Stay out of this," I snapped. I didn't care if she didn't deserve any of my attitude. She had to butt the hell out and stay there.

"Hey," Ino snapped at me, narrowing her eyes. "Don't talk to Hinata that way."

"The fuck I look like I care?"

"You and Shikamaru are the biggest, most stubborn idiots in the world. The entire school knows that you two are head over heels and you guys can't even admit it to each other. I was doing this as a _favor_, so that if you couldn't admit it, then at least I could help."

I laughed. The sound was sinister, even to my own ears. "Help? This isn't called helping, Ino! This is called 'messing the fuck up.'"

"I did this for you because you're my _friend_," Ino responded, lifting her pointer finger and directing it at me.

And that was when I snapped.

"No, Ino. We're not friends. Because friends don't do this to each other."

* * *

**AN: OMG. INO AND TEMARI BROKE UP. WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU, ANDY? I DON'T KNOW, MAN. I DON'T KNOW. BUT IT HAD TO BE DONE.**

**And so. Award for worst updater in the world who makes up for it by really crappy chapters goes toooo: ANDY. Win.**

**ANDANDAND. It always passes me by because I update this thing at like, midnight or three in the morning (this time it was midnight, but I was running on like four hours of sleep already) BUT the lovely DarkGal69 made another fanart for this story. It's been up for a while, I just ALWAYS GODDAMN FORGET to say. ALSO, someone else made a fanart that has also been up for such a long time except I effin' fail man, faaail. SO, go onto my profile and check out the art, dudes. THEY'RE AMAZING.**

**So special thanks to DarkGal69 and jyuen7 on DeviantART. So... GOGOGOGO to the profile. Now, hos. **

**Anyway. You guys know the drill. Please leave a review. You know I love 'em. **


	15. xv

'_Cause you give me something  
That makes me scared alright  
This could be nothing  
But I'm willing to give it a try  
Please give me something_  
'_Cause someday I might know my heart._  
**--You Give Me Something, James Morrison**

* * *

Chapter XV**  
This could be nothing, but I'm willing to try.**

It wasn't even the end of the day when Ino hauled me into an empty classroom. Manicured fingernails were practically ripping my ear away from my face, and I had a hard time keeping from informing her that if she _did_ manage to rip it off, she'd have to answer to my mother, since pulling my ear was usually _her_ favorite pastime.

Ino-dearest finally let me go when she'd managed to secure the lock on the door. Chouji was already waiting inside, munching away on his potato chips, only slightly perturbed by the fact one of his best friends had dragged his other best friend into what may be considered to be his ultimate demise. Of course, this was usually the case with Ino, so I completely understood why he wasn't all too worked up about it.

"Your little girlfriend," Ino began, and I sighed as I made myself comfortable on one of the desks, knowing she was in for the entire rant and that I'd probably manage to get a few words in here and there. "Is a big fucking _bitch_."

"Really."

"Yeah. You know, she came howling at me, ranting on about how stupid I am for sending you that card under her name. But really, I was doing her a favor."

"A favor?"

"A _favor_. She seems completely retarded if she can't figure out she's fallen for your lazy bum completely."

"And you've figured this out?"

"A boy and girl can't be _just_ friends."

"Of course not."

"Exactly." Ino wrung her hands, the silver bracelets on her wrist jingling together. "At least you understand me."

"Why, of course." Ino, when in Rant Mode, seems completely incapable of registering, let alone understanding, sarcasm. It could have bitten her head off and she'd still been unable to realize that sarcasm was pretty much eating her face.

"Like I was saying, she's being so immature about this. I mean, _you're_ not mad at me. Why can't she just realize I was being a good friend and letting the guy she's totally in love with realize that she is? It isn't like it would end badly; you're just as in love with her as she is in with you."

"Except for the part where I'm _not_ in love with her."

Ino narrowed her eyes dangerously, mouth quirking slightly. I could no longer hear Chouji's loud chewing—he was probably on standby just in case blood spilled.

"Except, you are."

I tilted my head. "Except… I'm not."

She sighed exasperatedly, the obvious annoyance flitting across her face. "Are _you_ mad at me, too?"

The odd, fading light from the window painted slivers of gold across the floor and on her face, catching strands of her glittering hair. I always wondered why I _wasn't_ madly in love with her. She was beautiful, smart enough, decent enough, knew what she wanted (sort of). And staring at her, watching her thin, pale eyebrows knot together as she tried to think of something to say, looking more and more beautiful, I didn't feel a thing stir within me. But on the other hand, one thought of the Suna foreign exchange student, angry eyes flashing, scary grin in place, made me want to stab myself in the heart. Anything to get rid of the feeling of complete vulnerability, of the gnawing ache inside my chest at every mention of her name, or every moment I caught sight of her smile.

It was fate.

Not that cheesy kind of "we were destined to be together" sort of things I'd seen in movies Ino had (naturally) dragged me to. It was the sort of "we were destined to meet, to come together, to evoke some kind of emotion in each other." The nice kind of destiny. The kind of destiny you could either choose to accept or choose to ignore.

Neji would have a field day if he could hear the inner workings of my mind, and while I was half tempted to actually abandon Ino's and find him, I knew I'd probably get beat to hell later.

"Are you listening?"

"_What_, Ino?"  
She ground her teeth violently, setting her jaw rigidly and glaring at me through her long, golden eyelashes. "You're almost as impossible as she is."

"The point?"

"You're both so blindingly stupid! You see each other every day and sit in nearly every single class together. You take her home, you show her around the city—a city she could travel in a day and make it home to dinner and still have been able to see all it has to offer and more. She's been here for nearly eight months, Shikamaru. She doesn't need you anymore, yet she continues to grab hold of you and make sure you never leave her side. You can speak to her without wanting to randomly stick your head down a garbage disposal. And Shikamaru, you should _really_ see the way you look at her. I'm not even kidding. You stare at her. You make stupid love faces at her. I mean, you really, honest to all that's good in the world, look like a deer caught in headlights, except she's the headlights and she's not turning off."

"I think that was one of the most pathetic analogies I have ever had the misfortune of hearing."

"Bite me."

"I'd much rather not."

"You're just so _stubborn_! Both of you! You can't realize what's so painfully obvious that it makes _me_ want to go off on a random homicidal march, just to see if all the spattering blood could jog a thing or two in those brains of yours!"

"You're being incredibly violent and melodramatic this evening."

"Because you two are two stupid idiots!"

"Redundancy isn't very becoming," I noted flippantly.

She had opened her mouth to say something but closed it right after I finished. She glared for a while, sizing me up with those blue eyes of hers.

"You're an _asshole_."

"That's very sweet."

She looked at me like she couldn't possibly believe I was being this irritable. Truth be told, I couldn't believe I was being so irritable either.

"I don't know how I've managed to stay friends with you for so many years. You're so dull, so boring, you never care about anything, and the one time there's something _good_ for you, the one time you're actually passionate about something, or someone in this case, you let it blow right through you without even bothering to put up a fight for it. Shikamaru, she's _leaving_."

"What?" I didn't get what she was saying. I registered the words, I knew the meanings, but I couldn't process what she was trying to say. I was being incredibly slow, but the truth of her words managed to pass me by because I'd been avoiding it since the "talk" so many weeks ago.

"She leaves in a month. In one month, she graduates high school and returns to Suna. In one month, she's away from Konoha, away from school, away from _you_. You're never going to get these moments back. You're never going to be able to be with her in the same way as now, and you don't even realize it." She shook her head sadly, blonde, silky hair—so unlike Temari's, and not nearly as beautiful in comparison—swaying behind her. "Can't you see I'm doing this for you? Because you're my friend, and I love you, and for the first time you're actually happy and you're actually motivated and you've actually smiled, and you're letting it go. Letting _her_ go."

"Ino." For the first time in a very long, long time, I felt compelled to go into a very long, winding explanation of something (like how Ino was completely retarded) when I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder, effectively shutting my mouth.

Chouji's head floated in front of me. He extended his hand and his bag of chips. "Here. I think you should listen to Ino. I think she knows what she's talking about."

I didn't even bother to argue. It'd be a waste of energy.

"She's sort of right, you know." I was pretty sure my eyes were bulging at this point. "I know I didn't really agree with her after the Halloween dance but… you can't see the way you look at her. Or the way you act after you've spent a few minutes in her presence. It's like… I hardly know you anymore. I know you're the same Shikamaru that I became best friends with in pre-school, but you're so much… happier." He wasn't even holding his chips anymore. They had somehow ended up in my own hands as he gripped both of my shoulders in his large, beefy hands. "You really like her."

"I don't."

"Shikamaru. You really like her."

And I did. I wasn't really denying it to myself, more denying it to everyone else so I wouldn't be caught doing something I would regret later. But the truth of the matter was that I did like her. And that my friends could see it, and that others possibly could. And she didn't. It was as if she were completely blind to me. She was incapable of registering the way I felt about her. And while I could go on and on and explain how utterly oblivious to something as obvious as my feelings for her were to her, I knew why she couldn't see it.

She was too busy trying to deny her own feelings, trying to pretend an "us" didn't exist to be able to see that I was growing steadily and more in need of her. I couldn't say when it happened—maybe it had been instantly and I'd been too stupid to notice—but it did. And I knew it happened to her, too. I was intelligent for a reason, and even if it had taken a while for it to finally register in my brilliant mind, in the end it all boiled down to the small, tiny fact that she felt the same. She did. I'd been too obsessed with my own feelings to notice hers. To notice that she was just as scared and new to it all as I was. To notice that she was trying to give me a way in during our talk at the coffee shop.

I felt like such an _idiot_.

"Fuck."

Ino had sat on one of the desks during my moment of reflection, but the instant I let the swear leave my mouth, she jumped from her seat and grinned maniacally.

"Finally realized it?"

I glared at her as I swore again. "Fuck. _Fuck_. Shit."

"He's not very eloquent after life-changing epiphanies, huh?" she asked Chouji, her eyes still on me.

"Shut up," I told her, ignoring her growl. I rubbed my temples tiredly. "Fuck!"

"So you've said."

"I'm a fucking _idiot_."

Ino nodded slowly. "Who cusses a lot when he realizes that he's an idiot."

"God, why?" I asked, glaring at the ceiling. "Why couldn't you let me realize this a few weeks ago? Before I ruined it?"

No answer.

I growled. "Damn."

"Glaring at ceilings won't change anything, you know," Ino said wisely from her place beside Chouji. She stroked her chin contemplatively. "You sort of have to do something to make it up to her now."

I groaned. "Damn. Fuck. Shit. _Fuck_."

Ino winced. "I think you should lessen up on the swearing, Shika."

Chouji hummed in agreement.

"Fuck." I paused for a moment before turning towards Ino, sighing in defeat. She was already grinning and sparkling with anticipation, as if she knew exactly what I was going to ask.

"Ino. Help me."

Her grin widened and she lowered her voice. "I'm glad you asked, Shikamaru. I'm glad you asked."

* * *

I _shouldn't_ have asked. 

Apparently, Ino's plans are often very, very dramatic. And take forever. And you actually have to work to make them… work. I did not like work.

A few days after I had asked Ino for help, she had somehow managed to convince me into asking one of the senior girls to the dance. For starters, I hadn't ever thought any of the senior females would actually humor a sixteen year old freshman and say yes, but apparently, Ino knew more about these things than me. And, according to her, there were far too many girls in school who were obsessed with me. Something about my dark, brooding looks of boredom and insane intelligence attracted them.

When I asked her _why_ I was taking Mina to the dance, she answered that since Temari had already agreed to go with another boy, I had to find a way to go to the dance myself.

I complained about it. A lot. I mean, I hated dances. I didn't dance. I sucked at dancing. Well, not really, but still. Dancing was troublesome. What was the point of dancing? I didn't see it. Completely useless, if you asked me.

"Stop complaining," she muttered as we walked to school. The days had slowly trickled by into March. By that week, I felt like a nervous man waiting for my execution, the guillotine hanging treacherously above my neck. I didn't like the feeling.

"You're not the one who's going to go up to the girl you like who hates you now because you're a fucking idiot and giving her fucking chocolates."

She swatted my arm. "Shika! What'd I tell you about cussing? Temari-san's been a horrible influence on you in that aspect…"

I groaned. This was practically a set up for disaster.

I was utterly screwed.

And then…

"Ino."

"What?"

"This is all your fault."

She looked at me, incredulity written on her face. "Excuse me?"

I shook my head, the realization cold. I was a really big idiot. I hadn't even seen it before. "All your fault!"

"What's my fault?"

"You jinxed it! In the beginning of the school year, you told me that you hoped I fell in love with a girl who would never give me the time of day. And look! Fucking _look_." I buried my head in my hands.

"Oh my gosh," Ino said, her mouth open in shock. "I _did,_ didn't I?"

I nodded. "You silly girl."

"Oh my goodness."

"I hate you."

"Now you're the one being silly, Shika."

"No. No, I'm not. I hate you. I hate you and your jinxing."

"Wow. I'm amazing."

"I _really _hate you."

"Don't say that."

"Shut up."

We walked the rest of the way to school in silence. Well, more like I was brooding in my silence, cursing Ino for everything, hoping the earth would open up and swallow me whole and never let me see daylight, or Ino, or Temari again. But when I thought of never actually seeing Temari's glaring, fierce, scowling face again, I felt slightly physically sick.

And Ino? All she did was skip along the trail to school, oozing happiness and satisfaction. After all, she had managed to curse her best friend. Who _wouldn't_ be happy about that?

When we reached the gates of school, Ino gave my arm a small pull and a reassuring smile. "Remember, lunch okay?" She let go and had bounded away a few steps before she paused and pivoted, returning back to my side. "And don't worry. You'll be fine. I trust you."

And then she floated away, her retreating back the only thing I could see.

Great. Perfect. Lunch.

I made my way into the building with my head down, careful to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. I soon enough found Chouji contemplating what to buy in front of the vending machines, his thoughts divided between ice cream and cookies. I wanted to tell him that too much sugar in the morning would immediately lead to a sugar crash in the afternoon, but there would be no reason to say such a thing. Chouji was an anomaly to humans. He could eat anything and everything without suffering something vital. Like a heart attack. Or diabetes.

"Ready for today?" Chouji asked. He looked at me expectantly and I sighed, removing my wallet from my back pocket and handing him a bill. He grinned and slid it into the slit with the bright arrows blinking in and out of life.

"Yeah. I'm ecstatic. Can't you tell?"

He gave me a once over and shrugged. "Not really."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know." He bent down to retrieve the ice cream and cookies. Of course. He'd gone for both. He held them both up. "Which one?"

"Cookie."

He handed it to me and tore into his ice cream. He took a large bite out of it, ignoring the fact that it was probably still frozen solid and that any other normal human probably couldn't bite through it without breaking their teeth or having their brain freeze.

Thankfully enough, Chouji's little detour to the vending machines made me effectively late for homeroom, so I didn't have to look at Temari for too long. Not that it really made a difference in the end. She didn't even give me the time of day. Since February 14, exactly one month ago, she hadn't spoken a single word to me. It was as if I had ceased to exist to her. And poor Ino, who had actually treasured Temari's friendship, was torn apart at their lack of communication. While she seemed bright and breezy, I knew her enough to know that she was missing her older friend.

Before I could register, lunch came around. Ino sped by my last class to give me a warning as the bell rang. Chouji gave me a knowing smile and nodded his head in encouragement.

This was it.

I waited until Temari had left the classroom and was making her way down the hall when I left the classroom and ran towards her. She must have heard my sneakers because she turned, looking at me curiously, eyes framed by her long lashes.

I skidded to a stop in front of her, narrowly avoiding sending her toppling with me on top, though that could have been another move that might have ended up with good consequences. But I let the thought go as I straightened myself and tried to appear nonplussed and presentable as she in turn glared and shifted her weight onto one foot, the other tapping out a frustrated rhythm.

"What do you want?"

It surprised me just how much her voice could affect me. I hadn't heard it directed my way for an entire month and it somehow managed to send tingles down the length of my spine. I didn't even know why—she didn't have an entirely aesthetically pleasing voice. It was rough and low, with melodic undertones that could have easily been overlooked by anyone else. It wasn't a very girly voice, but anyone would know it was completely female. And while it was hardly ever bright and happy, it was smooth and calm, never a moment where it would crack.

"Well?"

I looked up at her. Throughout the months we had spent together, I had never bothered to really, really look at her, not face to face, not so directly, not without wanting to close my eyes and press forward and hope my head somehow angled correctly to catch her lips. She wasn't flawless, though her face was almost up to the perfection Ino often boasted. There was a faint beauty mark at one corner of her eye, almost like a tear, and I was reminded of Korean superstition, courtesy of one my aunts who had married a Korean man, that a mark by the eye often meant a life full of sadness. As my eyes swept lower to stare at her lips, I saw that her lips were far more a pale pink than what I was used to seeing on girls.

"Here."

She opened her mouth and I was momentarily distracted by the flash of her pink tongue darting out to lick her lips in preparation to speak, leaving a glistening trail behind. But I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, and took a step towards her.

"What is it?" she asked, and her voice sounded more accusing than questioning.

I extended one hand towards her, the box of expensive white chocolates in plain sight. "For the chocolates you gave me."

"That was Ino," she corrected immediately.

"I know," I told her. I took another step forward, delighted to see a blush work its way from her neck into her cheeks. I never thought I would see the day where I would be the one to make her blush. "But I'd rather pretend that it _was_ you who gave me the chocolates."

"Why?" She was waging a silent war behind her eyes and I grinned. I was trapping her. Finally.

I shrugged, pretending the answer wasn't really important. It really wasn't, since my gift would mean more. At least, I hoped it did.

"What're you doing?" She was stumbling slightly, her face red, her eyes wide in shock and fright. It was a very different look. I never thought I would ever see it on her face.

I showed her my other hand, the flower facing her. She stopped moving completely and I had to stop pressing forward. She had angled herself unconsciously towards the safety of the lockers, and in another few steps, she'd be pressed against them.

"…A desert lily?" Her voice was faltering. It was horribly satisfying to see her struggling to form coherent thoughts and words. "They _sell_ those?"

"Ino's dad owns a flower store." I took one step. She did as well. One more time, and she'd be pressed against the lockers. Victory would be mine.

She stared at it in my hand but made no move to take it. I'd probably end up having to shove it into her hands or something. "I don't know what you're playing at," she said sternly, the sudden shift in her mood surprising even me. She was still staring at the flower. "But it's not going to work. I don't even know why you're speaking to me again, since you were doing so well ignoring me. Can't we just keep going that way?" She looked up, glaring defiantly at me, and I was stunned by her fierceness. "Just go back to ignoring me and before you know it, I'll be out of your hair. And life will—"

I was tired of her talking. I just wanted her to shut up, take the stupid damn flower, and stay quiet while I made her realize that I really fucking liked her. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with a fool proof plan in the span of three seconds that _wasn't_ stupid, so I made my move even though I knew I was pretty much setting myself up for a rather violent death afterwards.

I took her by the shoulders, pushed her back against the locker and pressed my mouth against hers in a desperate attempt to get her to shut the hell up.

She squirmed under me, as responsive as a dead and frozen fish. But that didn't stop me. I was pissed enough to completely disregard her feelings for me at that very moment. I just wanted her to accept the damn fact that I was attracted to her.

It took five seconds for her to respond. She more or less melted against me, pressing back eagerly, twining her arms behind my neck and pulling me down, somehow deepening the kiss. The rush of hot air from her open mouth and her tongue snaking its way around mine made my head hurt, and I wanted to do a whole lot of things to her right then and there that would probably get censored even in an R-rated movie.

And suddenly, I was stumbling away, trying to catch my step before her fist knocked into my cheek, sending me flying a few more steps back.

I never imagined how it would feel to be on the receiving end of one of Temari's punches, and I deemed at that moment that I never really wanted to be on the receiving end of it ever again. She punched like a fucking man.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" she screamed. It was hard to concentrate on what she was saying when I was still high off the kiss, and her swollen lips weren't helping. "Just get the hell out of my life, okay?" She had already turned on her heels before I could say a word.

The swelling of my cheek hardly bothered me. I was only aware that she was walking away and that the chocolates and flower were no longer in my hands. I smiled ruefully, wincing at the pain, glad that I had managed to not only kiss her, but stuff my gifts into her bag.

The plan hadn't exactly gone my way, but it was good enough. There was still the dance. And I would win then. Even if it cost me all of my dignity. After all, I didn't have much left. She did well in rendering me completely undignified by then.

"Dude," one of the students who had been in the hall during the entire exchange was standing by my side. "You're a fucking idiot."

I nodded dumbly in agreement. "Love makes you do stupid things."

* * *

**AN: I just really, really want to take the time out and thank all of you. You guys are such an amazing bunch, no lie. Reading your reviews, knowing that I've managed to make a few of you guys smile and laugh, to know that you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am writing it… seriously, it's an **_**awesome**_** feeling. It's just so wonderful to feel that there are people out there having as much fun reading what you've written as you have. And I'm so glad that you guys have received this story, such a typical Naruto HIGHSCHOOL AU story, with open arms and a large heart. It really, really makes my day. **

**The things you guys say really make things worth it in the end. I'm an extremely temperamental writer; I go through weeks in a slump, unable to get a single thing to sound right, and will eventually give up and simply delete the story. It is thanks to reading your reviews, knowing that you guys would feel disappointed that I haven't finished, that have really stayed my finger from clicking the delete button when this story becomes too much for me to handle. So I thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very, very much.**

**Also, I want you all to know that I take EVERYTHING you say to heart. You tell me to go listen to this-and-this song, and I do it. I loved Saving Jane's "Better Day." That song "What Hurts the Most" has been on my iPod for a very long time now, but I was glad to re-listen to it anyway. The fanarts, the everything—seriously, I do love it. And I take it all with me. Honest.**

**So yeah. Thank you. For being so awesome that you rock my socks off. For making me feel like I've actually accomplished something worthwhile in the ShikaTema fandom. For just being amazing readers (and reviewers!). I owe you guys.**

**And that's pretty much it for my INSANELY LONG author's note. I think there are only two more chapters after this. This had originally been a SUPER LONG STORY OF DOOM (well reaching over 126 pages in Verdana, 8 point font) but now hardly gets past the 90s. So yeah. STAY TUNED. The next chapter is almost finished. After that… well. You'll see.**

**--Andy.**


	16. xvi

_I'm just a stranger, even to myself.  
A re-arranger of the proverbial bookshelf.  
Don't be a fool girl, tell him you love him.  
Don't be a fool girl, you're not above him._

_  
I never thought I could love anyone but myself.  
Now I know I can't love anyone but you.  
You make me think that maybe I won't die alone.  
Maybe I won't die alone._  
**--Die Alone, Ingrid Michaelson**

* * *

Chapter XVI**  
Potential Revelation**

I was glowering and being positively atrocious when the doorbell rang. I wasn't exactly in a chipper mood; I was pretty much the opposite. I had been sulking on the couch, curled up in fetal position, unable to keep my thoughts from straying, unable to keep from thinking about that day's events, the feeling of Shikamaru's kiss still strong against my lips. Every few seconds, I would reach up with my fingertips, as if expecting to still have his mouth against mine. It was frustrating when the disappointment that they _weren't_ welled up inside me.

The doorbell rang once more and I growled, not at all pleased to be yanked out of my position to answer the stupid door. I was battling my instincts to open the door, yell, flip the person off and shut the door on their face, while another side of me, small yet a far more convincing part of me, tried to reason with the less noble side. 

The small part won. I opened the door and didn't utter a single word that may have been misconstrued (but not really) as hostile. I merely grunted, first glaring at the floor before looking up.

"Ino."

She seemed uncomfortable standing on the other side of the doorway, a long but slim white, rectangular box in her thin arms. She was still in her school uniform, which made me think that she was just coming from school, but I really wouldn't know. I had cut the rest of the day after lunch, not at all interested in spending the rest of the afternoon having to look at Shikamaru's face without being able to punch him again.

"What?" I asked. My voice was colder than I had intended. I didn't really hate her anymore. 

She shifted from one foot to the other, her discomfort apparently growing. She pursed her lips, dragging one under her top teeth, biting hard. Pale eyebrows knotted together as she struggled to find something to say.

"Temari…-san…" she trailed off slowly, drawing out the honorific with exaggerated slowness as she tried to stall. The rectangular box was pulled closer to her chest and I observed she was using it as a shield.

One hand on the door, keeping it from closing in her face, I leaned my head against it. "Spit it out."

My attitude probably jolted her out of her shyness. She was suddenly standing very still and very straight, the weight in her arms more a burden than a comfort in her sudden shift of mood.

"You could try being a little nicer," she snapped.

"You could try being a little less stupid." I felt a smirk pull at the corner of my lips, curling them up. "But I guess that might be asking too much."

She sighed dramatically, eyes rolling. "We both know that I'm not as stupid as you like to believe I am." She shrugged, staring intently back at me, her eyes unflinching as they burned into my own. "But whatever makes you happier."

"You not being here would help."

She hissed. "I'm not like Shikamaru; I won't deal with your insults and take them lying down." I opened my mouth to tell her just _exactly_ how stupid I thought she was (my faded anger suddenly returning at full speed) but she was already speaking, drowning out my obvious retort. "But I'm not here to argue."

"Then what the _hell_ are you here for?"

She sucked her teeth, all the image of teenaged immaturity. "I know you don't consider _me_ your friend anymore," she supplied, "but I still think of you as mine." She shoved the white box into my chest and I struggled to catch hold of it before she let go and it dropped to the floor. "I know you probably got an awful dress to wear to the dance, so I got you this one."

I huffed in defiance. "I don't need your help."

She raised one perfectly arched eyebrow in disbelief. "I don't think you've ever seen yourself well in the mirror, Temari. No one in their right _mind_ would wear their hair like that."

I puffed out my chest, miffed, one hand holding the box while the other reached up to tug at one of the four ponytails sticking out haphazardly from my head. "I'll have you know that I think my hair is cute."

"For a four year old."

"You'd look adorable, then."

She breathed in evenly, as if trying to control her temper. Probably was. I wasn't making it anymore easy for her. I was sadistically glad I wasn't, too.

"Look. Just look at the dress. If you like it, great. If you don't, you can sell it on eBay for all I care. I just…" she hesitated, and her features immediately softened to reveal the Ino I was used to, the Ino I had occasionally acted like a girl around, the Ino that would use me as a guinea pig. "You're my friend. I know it doesn't mean much to you, but it's true. And I really… I'll miss you. And I want your dance to be… something you enjoy. And the first step is the dress."

I turned my nose up at her. "Fine."

She scowled. "You're hopeless. I don't know what Shikamaru finds in you. I'll give it to him that you have an amazing body, but your attitude would make me want to blind myself."

I hissed at her. "Go away."

I shut the door, the frame trembling slightly at the sheer force of the effort. I leaned against it, holding the box tightly in my arms, afraid to let go. The slide towards the floor was short as my knees bucked under me.

What a disaster.

This entire trip had been merely a means to get away from Suna, away from my father, away from the cocky and snobby little idiots that seemed to spawn at my school back home. This was a way out, another chance to escape from the bonds and chains that held me down back in my homeland, a way to prove myself outside of the restraints and mold that had already been set by my father and everyone else in that society. I had only been intending to learn and further my education, perhaps further strengthen my belief that Konoha students were lesser in comparison.

I had definitely not been counting on this.

On becoming friends with a girl who was practically my opposite—more girly than even I could fathom, kinder than I could begin to imagine. On befriending the shyest heir of a family who could trace their history—and wealth—way back into the early dawning of the first century. 

On finding a guy who caused my heart to flutter.

This hadn't been part of the program, of the planning. I had been sure I was seventeen steps ahead. Before I had even landed in Konoha, I could already see myself nine months later and preparing to get on the plane back home.

I seemed to have lost my touch in planning and thinking ahead.

Or, perhaps it was better to say that I had been thrown off track. Well, more or less beat across the face with a bat rather than simply thrown off track. Maybe feelings did that to people. Maybe it was like the books described—you do crazy things. Things you never imagined doing. Maybe.

I don't know for how long I sat there, completely and utterly useless, trying to figure things out and coming up with nothing when the doorbell rang once more and I was startled out of my musings. I struggled to sit up quickly, hauling the rectangular box up with me. I heaved the door open and stared.

"Tenten."

It seemed like everyone was going to visit me before the evening was out.

"I already have a dress," I began, confused, eyes flitting down to stare at the box in my hands.

She laughed sarcastically. "I'm not like Ino. I can't give a care about whether or not you're properly prepared for your dance tomorrow. Hell, if I had it my way, you'd be incapacitated."

"You never _did_ get over the volleyball incident," I hummed.

She seemed taken aback by this; the confusion on her face was obvious with the way her brows furrowed together. "What?" I would have responded, but she seemed to come up with the answer herself. "Oh." She smiled darkly. "That's where you're wrong. I actually _did_ get over it. But the way you treated Ino? Made me hate you all over again."

"I never thought you were close to Ino," I said.

She shrugged. "I'm not. Ino's just another girl. I use her for the days when I need to do something girly and shit—like shop. Or… I don't know. Cut my hair. But I _do_ care for her. And the way you treated her?" She pointed an accusingly long finger at me. "Frankly? Pissed me off."

"Should I be sorry?"

"Not to me," she answered quickly, not bothering to think through her answers. "To her. She was simply trying to be your friend, even though you don't deserve it, because you're such a bitch anyway. But in the end, that was all she was trying to be. What she's _still_ trying to be, apparently." Her brown eyes flickered down to my hands where the box was still held tightly in my grip.

"What's your point?"

"My point?" Her eyes returned up to my face and she didn't bother to mask the bitter hate that appeared in her eyes. "My point is to tell you just how much of a _bitch_ you're being," she spat. "A horrible, selfish little bitch that can't see that everyone is just trying to be _nice_, though you sure as hell don't deserve it."

For some reason, the anger I would have thought would immediately sweep over me at such an outburst was strangely missing. I couldn't feel anything. I was uncharacteristically numb and it was so obvious that Tenten paused for a moment to look at me, trying to guess what I was feeling, trying to figure out why I had yet to jump at her throat.

She smiled triumphantly at the look on my face—whatever it was. It seemed to please her that I was at a complete loss. It seemed to spur her on to continue, "You know what else? I'm also here to tell you just how _apparent_ your feelings for Shikamaru, and his for you, are to the rest of the student population. You'd think two people like yourselves, as smart as you are, would realize your feelings before the rest of the world would, but look at the irony. Seriously, get the hell over yourself and just accept it. You're driving the rest of the school insane with your crazy arguments and fights and glares and just everything."

It was one thing to hear my mind present logic. It was one thing to listen to Ino argue that I was insane and that I was totally in love with her best friend. It was another thing to have a somewhat-stranger lay out in the open every one thing that I had tried to bury deep down, had tried to hide away, hoping it would never come to light. It was a completely different thing altogether to try to deny it afterwards.

"Basically, I'm here to tell you just how glad I'll be when you're gone, when things finally return to normal."

"The feeling is mutual," I ground out, ignoring my palpating heart, trying to pretend her words hadn't affected me at all, that I was still as cold and heartless as I was accused of being. "Then I guess you're finished here?"

She nodded in agreement. "We're even, now."

"Excuse me?"

"Even." When I still didn't get it, she smirked. "You one-upped me during the volleyball incident. And now, I've finally one-upped you. Revenge, Temari."

Tenten left without another word, just a smirk and the whip of her brown hair the only thing lingering in my mind as she sped away. I rolled my eyes and strangled down the urge to chase after her and knock her head into the wall. There were too many video cameras in my building, though I could probably pay enough money to bribe someone to destroy all the copies of the video.

However, I didn't go after her. Instead, I remained behind, still clutching the box, still feeling my heart go out of control, still trying to ignore my mind as it kept repeating, "_She's right, she's right, she's right_."

* * *

I didn't know why I expected anything less from Konoha Prep when my date pulled up to the large, expensive, highly famous hotel where the "prom" would be held. It was all lit up, lights blinking in and out of life, illuminating the large, grand building in all its foreign glory. Hiltons, no matter in what country they were located, were always ridiculously showing off.

Of course, entering the actual ballroom where the dance would be held didn't ruin any of the precedents Konoha Prep had set for fabulous, slightly over-the-top venues. The ballroom was lit up in gold and disco-colors, chandeliers and glass and mirrors reflecting the light, making the place sparkle. The closest thing I could find to describe it was The Plaza Hotel ballroom in New York City, too-large and too-beautiful for accurate description.

When my date, Tarou, and I finally arrived, the dance was already well underway, people dancing frantically and spastically under the temporary disco light located in the middle of the ballroom. I could spot a live band on a makeshift stage and a DJ in a glass room in a far corner of the floor, half-hidden away in the shadows cause by the light that didn't quite reach him.

This was absolutely ridiculous. All this extravagance was completely unnecessary. 

Stupid, retarded school—

"Would you like to find a table?" Tarou asked me, his long fingers sweeping through his brilliantly dark hair, his eyes intense as they bored into mine. He was effeminate and beautiful. The epitome of manliness in Konoha.

I didn't really want him.

He was so unlike Shikamaru.

Definitely smart, that was a given. But he was kind. Gentle. Shy. Probably unable to think one horrible thought. And always thinking of me.

It irked me a little. It was rather sweet, but I didn't want sweet. I wanted violent, desperate, uncaring, and able to stand without help or without feeling self conscious. I wanted someone who could face me, outwit me, outsmart me, cause me to falter in my steps and in my thinking. I wanted someone two hundred moves ahead of me.

Of course, the moment I started thinking that way, I immediately and effectively shut it out, pretending not to care, pretending that everything was alright.

"Yeah," I answered, carefully letting my eyes slip away to stare at something else. It didn't matter what, as long as I didn't have to look at him and be reminded of how horrible I was, using him to simply get over the fleeting feelings I felt for a _kid_

He smiled and took my elbow, carefully guiding me through the crowd laughing and sweating and enjoying the dance they'd paid a fortune for. We found a semi-empty table near the dance floor, and he pulled out a chair for me. I took it, smiling in gratitude, feeling the way it threatened to slip off my lips in seconds if I didn't concentrate hard enough on this image of Happy, Enjoying the Fun Temari. 

He left and returned with drinks, handing me one with a beautiful smile. I wanted to gouge my eyes out with my fingernails.

But before I could begin to tear out my corneas, my eyes happened to catch sight of something that immediately set my blood boiling and the heat within my bones to rise and seep through my skin.

_Him_.

He was being pulled onto the dance floor by his date, a very beautiful, tall, thin girl, with long brown hair that railed behind her and long limbs. I recognized her as potential Prom Queen. She could have been a model if she wanted to, except she was too busy thinking about her grades and getting into a prestigious university to care about looks and photo shoots.

I was already moving before I could register it. I had slammed my glass down on the table, red punch sloshing out and staining the white mantle. Tarou stared at me in shock as I pulled him out of his chair, leading him half-consciously towards the dance floor, running through various scenarios in my mind, coming up with countless ways to get near _him_ and let him know I was there.

I wanted his attention.

I knew it, couldn't accept it, but still my mind was far more advance than my pride, and knew well enough that I wanted _him_ to spare me just one more glance.

What a horrible, sappy romance it was turning into. I'd have to deny any and all kind of association to the emotion for the next thirty years if I wanted to even go back to Normal Temari.

Somehow, Tarou wasn't as bothered at being dragged along to the dance floor than I thought he would be. I stopped when I deemed it an appropriate spot, and he immediately set his hands on my waist, pulling me as close as would be deemed appropriate, and waited for me to begin dancing.

And then we stopped abruptly.

I looked around, trying to find the cause, only to glare a moment later as I realized what had happened.

Shikamaru and his date. He'd managed to trip on Tarou's feet and poor Tarou, being the educated and kind guy he was, stopped to make sure Shikamaru was alright. And all Shikamaru did was glare and glare some more, turning his darkened eyes towards me before pulling his date away and further embarrassing himself by continuing to dance.

I shrugged and pulled Tarou towards me, suddenly invigorated as I felt Shikamaru's eyes on me. I pressed myself again Tarou, reveling in the blush that rose furiously to his cheeks, making him all the cuter. Making me feel worse for not feeling attracted to him whatsoever.

A few seconds after we began dancing again (much closer, with more friction, his hands on my hips and pulling me every chance he got) I was bumped into.

"What the hell!"

Shikamaru's date looked horrified and bowed her head. "Sorry!" She turned towards Shikamaru, staring at him oddly. "Sorry," she mumbled to me again, and Shikamaru pulled at her hands before letting his own slide onto her waist.

I was practically seething, the smoke rising from my ears.

Tarou was oblivious to it all, only aware of being able to press against me. 

And then I got bumped again.

It was probably all the pent up frustration, the need to get everything off my chest, the need to let someone—_anyone­_—know that I was going out of my mind here that made me stop, wrench myself out of Tarou's embrace, and turn my heated gaze on Shikamaru.

"What the _hell_ is your problem?" I growled.

He stared back, unflinching, unwavering. "Stop getting in the way."

His date stared between us and tactfully moved away, pulling at Shikamaru, whispering, "Hey, come on, let's go get a drink."

"Get out of the _way_?" I rolled my eyes and laughed, the sound hardly pleasing, completely ignoring his date as she watched and tried to remove Shikamaru to bring some kind of peace into the atmosphere. "Are you retarded? Seriously, are you? You can't dance to save your life and you're blaming this on us?"

"If you don't—"

"Just… god, why are you even here?" I was ranting. My temper was flaring dangerously out of control. I felt myself slipping away slowly and soon I'd turn into a violent mess of desperate nerves and hormones. "You're not a senior, you don't even like that girl, you don't even like dancing. What—"

"Oh, because _you_ like _that_ guy," he spat back accusingly, glaring at Tarou with such hatred I was mildly surprised to find he was capable of holding an emotion other than boredom.

His date was momentarily shocked into stillness, hands still wrapped around his arm, though she had stopped trying top pull him away. Her large, brown eyes were widened in shock as she stared at him, and I could feel Tarou's eyes on my back as he tried to register what was a happening.

But the moment passed quickly. "Don't try to pin this back on me. _I'm_ the one graduating. _I'm_ the one leaving—"

"Exactly!" he interrupted. He stood straighter, using his height as an advantage, causing me to look up at him as he towered above me. "Shouldn't you be here with someone you like?"

"What?" I was a little winded, at a loss with a response at the unexpected question. A moment later and I was smirking. "Thought it'd be you?"

He seemed just as stunned at my response as I had been with his question. He visibly shrank, reverting back to looking just like a sixteen year old boy so oddly out of place among older people.

"Yeah."

Did he—?

I stared at him. At the way one side of his mouth naturally curved up slightly, a perpetual smirk on his mouth frozen in place. At the way his eyelashes seemed to rest against his cheek every time he blinked. At the way his hair was not in his usual style, but combed and loose, framing his face, making him resemble something like a Japanese rock star.

I stared and wondered what everything was trying to tell me. Why everything fit so neatly and yet so out of place. Why I was in Konoha in the first place, why I had even been placed in his class, why he had ever even bothered to go for the job. Why I always took Kankurou's words to heart, why I even tried to work against it. I wondered why I was so vehement in denying anything and everything, why I didn't really want to be alone with him, why my heart hammered so fast and the blood in my veins trickle by so slowly. 

And it was just so plainly, painfully obvious that I almost laughed.

I was scared.

People don't usually end up finding someone they could spend the rest of their life with in high school. They usually don't proclaim true love or eternal devotion. It's something you only read in books. It's a fairytale, made up and spun into wonderful stories to keep the hope alive.

Here I was, hoping against hope that this was _my_ fairytale.

"Shi—"

"Listen to me!" He grabbed my wrist, pulling hard, and I was pretty sure he had bruised the skin. "You're always so damn stubborn, refusing to actually see the way things really are. You're leaving in a few days and I won't see you again. You're going to university and you're not going to be here and you're going to meet really handsome, talented, smart guys who pay attention to you and treat you nicely. I get it. I always got it." He let go and shoved me away, rubbing his hands through his hair, and he suddenly seemed so much older, so tired. "I just… I can't anymore. Please, just… listen."

I wasn't saying a word. 

He was growing frustrated with himself. He looked away, placed a hand to his head and pressed and cussed under his breath. It was strange to watch him in his indecision, wavering under his confusion, teetering on the edge of sanity and clarity. I bet it felt much like how I was feeling, unable to control the rage of emotions that went from anger to desperation to the need to touch him, to let him know that I really, really, _really_ did like him.

The last emotion won out in seconds as I launched myself towards him, hands wrapping around his neck and pulling him down, my lips searching for his along his jaw and cheeks until finally finding them.

The kiss was fierce, our pent-up feelings finally surfacing through the furious press of our lips. He held me tighter as I swooned, my knees giving out.

It was far from the perfect kiss, with too much of clashing teeth and desperation rising up to meet us as we fell through and allowed our emotions to carry us.

It didn't matter, though. What mattered was the moment, our acceptance that there was more to whatever we allowed ourselves to admit out loud. 

That we were together, here and now.

* * *

**AN: …Okay. No excuse. I'm sorry if it isn't any good or not up to my usual standards or whatever, I really tried. It's been a hard month or two, and I don't think it'll get any better. So just hang in there with me. I promise to try and finish this story as soon as I can.**

**Also, I'm changing my penname to "Oh Dee" (or something similar) to keep it the same as my new writing journal, which you can find the link to on my profile page. I've had this penname ever since 2005, but I think it's time to move on.**

**And, and, andddd, I'll be posting up a few one shots tonight, so look for those, too.**

**Hope to see a review from ya****♥**


	17. xvii

It's not about the money we make  
It's about the passions that we ache for  
What makes your heart beat faster  
Tell me now, what does your body long after  
I don't care now where we live  
It's not where, or what, or who we were with.  
I just need you in my life, so promise me again!**  
--Time & Confusion, Anberlin**

* * *

**Chapter XVII  
We Could Last Forever**

People are like clouds.

You have your different people of different places, which can be represented by the different cloud types that there are, like the cirrus, cumulus, nimbus, and stratus. But even among these, each cloud is formed a little different, looks a little different, speeds across the sky a little differently than the others. Just like people. Just like how Ino and Temari and Hinata and Tenten could be the same cloud type, but act completely different. And just like how clouds merge, I found myself being sucked into Temari's space and becoming one.

And sometimes, you see things in the clouds. Like an elephant, or a beaver, or the most beautiful girl in the world. And you want to reach out and hold it with you for a little longer than you should, even though a cloud is meant to move on to some other place, away from you.

I guess that's why I'm not the greatest person when it comes to goodbyes. I don't like the idea of having to work up the effort only to see the person go away. Maybe I'm just as lazy as people say. Maybe I'm just too emotional for my own good.

That was probably why I dreaded the next few days after the dance.

Temari was leaving.

As much as I wanted to see her, as much as I wanted to be with her, the constant reminder that in a week she'd be gone, a memory to blanket my mind for years to come, kept me from calling her cell phone, kept me from accidentally walking around her neighborhood, kept me from seeking her out now that the days were slowly dwindling and she'd disappear.

"She wants to see you, you know," Ino told me when she came to see me two days after the dance. She sat on my bed, legs tucked under her, fingers picking at a flower she had placed in her hair. "She wants to call, but she has too much pride. She wants to see you, but can't even come near here."

"I know," I mumbled. And I did know. I knew her almost as much as I didn't. I knew she'd never come to me and that if this kept going at the rate that it was, that night of the dance would be the last time I ever got to see her.

"Shikamaru…" Chouji trailed off. He wasn't even looking at me, instead choosing to watch the fading sun from my window seat. Beyond the back of his head, I could spot the pinks and purples and oranges and reds and golds swirling together in the sky as the sun set behind the trees and buildings of Konoha.

I had a feeling that it would be the last time a sunset ever looked so beautiful and felt so devastatingly bittersweet. The end of another day. The inevitable ending of yet another thing.

Chouji finally turned, staring at me with his kind eyes. He was not judging me. He was not telling me what to do. He was there for moral support, to be the friend I needed. I was far more emotional than I could care to admit, and Chouji was good at balancing it out with his immense heart.

"I understand, Shikamaru." He smiled kindly, eyes bright. "I really do."

And so I cried.

* * *

In the end, I didn't go to her graduation.

I stayed home and slept. Occasionally, I'd wake up to stare out my window, to watch as morning slowly turned into noon, to watch as noon slowly turned into afternoon, to watch as afternoon slowly turned into evening. My pops came in twice to tell me I was wallowing like a girl. The hag came in once to tell me Ino said the graduation was beautiful.

After a few more days rolled by, and the constant feeling of emptiness began to fully consume me, I realized just how much I liked Temari. Too much, apparently. So much so that my heart was breaking even though we still inhabited the same town, only a few train stops away.

The day _she_ was scheduled to leave, my mother stomped into my room, hauled me out of bed and yelled at me to get her something from the store. I didn't question her. Didn't argue. I washed my hair like she told me to and wore the jeans she had bought me months back. There was no use arguing anymore. There never had been any use to arguing.

As I walked back home, carrying three bags full of food the dearest hag would probably shove down my throat, I saw it.

A blur of blonde hair sticking up randomly in four ponytails that would leave physicists reanalyzing gravity.

I stopped in my tracks, let my mouth hang open. I blinked a few times just to make sure I hadn't just snapped and officially went 'round the bend. But it was real. I could recognize those four ponytails anywhere. Even with her back facing me, I knew who it was.

Temari was standing right in front of me.

Looking a bit stalker-ish, since she was hiding behind a telephone pole staring out at my house, but still real and tangible.

There was an odd pounding in my chest as I continued to look at her, as I took in the way the sun hit her hair and made it lighter than it really was, as I took in the way her skin had tanned considerably in the last few days since I hadn't seen her. I took in what she was wearing: clothes that probably cost more than what was normal, but worn and comfy and natural. It surprised me, looking at her, watching as she jumped up to peer over the hedge she was hiding behind to get a glimpse of my house, just how much I missed her, because I had a strange urge to go up behind her and wrap my arms around her.

So instead, I cleared my throat.

At the sound of my cough, Temari turned, stiff and surprised. She stared at me with wide eyes even though she was frozen to her spot, as if caught in my shadow that extended from me to her. Some time during our staring contest, I dropped the bags I was holding and took a few derisive steps towards her. But it didn't really register in my mind. All I was really aware of was that she was standing right there, right in front of me.

"What're you doing here?" she asked. Her voice was unnaturally high; worried and afraid and self-conscious.

There was a moment of silence as my eyes focused on the house behind her—my house. "I live here."

Her jaw was set as her eyes bore into mine. A few seconds later, she softened and said simply, "Oh."

The awkwardness of the situation was palpable; it hung in the air and threatened to suffocate us. I didn't know how to go up to her and take her by the arms and ravage her senselessly. She was too busy being prideful. We were left teetering on the edge of the unknown, too scared to look downwards to see the fall, too frightened to take a step back and lose our balance.

"You're… leaving today?"

She nodded.

The clenching in my chest made me pause for breath. The force of it almost made me swoon.

"Are you… doing okay?" she asked.

I nodded.

She seemed to be having as much trouble breathing as I was.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. Watching each other, but making no other move to get closer, to kiss, to touch, to breathe each other in.

But Temari was brash and forward. She did things she thought had to be done. If she had something to do, something to say, it would find itself in the open regardless.

"Shikamaru… In two years… You'll have graduated high school. Got anything planned for college?" She seemed to be struggling with her words, hiding it behind a smirk that was pulling at the corner of her lips that seemed to strained to be honest.

I laughed. "You really need to ask?"

"Then try to get into Kage University. Because…"

I watched her as she took a step forward. She looked unsure, but still determined.

"What?"

She stopped a few steps in front of me. I could see the beauty mark by her lip, the specks of brown in her eyes, her dark, golden lashes fluttering slightly as she blinked. "I… uh…."

No.

I held up a hand, stopping the monologue I was sure she would end up going on about. Women were, in the end, just like that.

I stretched out my hand, watching as she caught her breath and I touched her cheek; a mere press of a finger against smooth skin. "Don't."

She stared. Her eyes hardened. She looked ready to punch me.

I continued, ignoring the look she was giving me, ignoring the fact her mind was probably devising a way to skin me even as she trembled only slightly under my touch. "Give me two years."

"What?"

"All I need is two years. That's what you said right?" I shrugged. "In two years, I'll see you at Kage University."

_That's all I ask_.

Her eyes were strangely bright, brimming with unshed tears. Tears she had probably never revealed before. Tears that went beyond our bittersweet farewell.

And suddenly she was smiling, all teeth, all danger, while a single tear squeezed out her eyes and she lifted her fist to punch me playfully on the shoulder.

"Good," she said. And I would never forget the sound of her voice: happy, brimming with sadness, and hoping for the future.

* * *

"Hey, freshies! If you guys don't want to get lost on campus, you better come here, quick! I'm not the most patient of women!"

Her voice wasn't very much different from before. Lighter, happier, if anything much more cynical than I remembered. And she didn't look much different. Thinner, slightly shorter, probably because I had shot up in my last year of high school, and much more beautiful.

Definitely beautiful.

I strolled straight up to her and crossed my arms, waiting for her to recognize me. She stared around for a few moments, waving at people and glowering at others as she patiently (or not so much) waited for the rest of the entering freshmen at Kage University to group around her.

"Oi, troublesome woman, you going to be my guide this time?"

She bristled and turned slowly to look at me, and I could tell she was readying a response for being called troublesome. She opened her mouth to say something before she let out a tiny gasp and closed her mouth at the sight of me.

"Nice to see you, too."

She opened her mouth, closed it and then allowed a smirk to slowly but surely grace her lips as she shifted her weight onto the other leg.

"Well, if it isn't Nara Shikamaru." Her voice was exactly as I had remembered it. Only it was one thousand times more precious, since I hadn't heard it in a little over two years.

I bowed my head mockingly. "Temari."

She punched my shoulder. Her way of a welcome. "Good to see you, kid."

"Troublesome woman, when will you learn?" It wasn't much of a comeback to the punch or comment, but I figured it was good enough. So I pulled at her hand, the one still making its way to her side after just having punched me, and brought her to me, chest against chest, my arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

And while it was troublesome, I knew that if I didn't do it, I'd be killing myself over it later.

She stiffened against me, muttering, "What the hell are you doing?" under her breath, her mouth warm against the skin of my neck.

I lowered my head, my lips close to hers, mumbling, "Shut up," before I claimed her open mouth as it readied itself for a retort.

If I didn't know back when I was in high school that I cared for her, if I didn't know that Ino had fucked me over by jinxing my life with _her_, then there was no way denying it then when I had Temari wrapped in my arms, my lips against hers, her heartbeat racing just in time with mine. Not because kissing her would be embarrassing without a motive, but because I couldn't imagine having any other girl press against me like she did, or have hands run through my hair like hers did, or have any other girl whisper across my lips,

"I love you."

**_Fin._**


End file.
